DPWH to Reopen Dimasalang Bridge Northbound Lane Ahead of Undas
Key Takeaways
- •The DPWH expects to reopen the northbound lane of Dimasalang Bridge before Undas as it expedites rehabilitation works on the structure.
- •The bridge was closed in May to allow the second phase of its rehabilitation and repair works.
- •Public Works Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon said reopening hinges on finishing asphalt works, while railing installation is meant to strengthen the bridge's overall structure.
- •The crossing carries traffic over the San Juan River between Manila and Quezon City, and a reopening ahead of Nov. 1-2 would return the lane to service during one of the year's busiest travel periods.
- •The Dimasalang project is part of a wider 2026 DPWH rehabilitation slate covering EDSA, the Andaya Highway, and other routes across Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao, with a C-5 rehabilitation targeted to begin within the year.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is expected to reopen the northbound lane of Dimasalang Bridge before Undas as the agency expedites rehabilitation works on the structure.
"The (completion) of this bridge is critical, once we finish asphalt works, we will the bridge to the public," Public Works Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon said in a media release on Monday.
The agency closed the bridge in May to make way for the second phase of its rehabilitation and repair works. Mr. Dizon said the ongoing asphalt works and the installation of railings are intended to strengthen the bridge's overall structure. The crossing carries traffic over the San Juan River between Manila and Quezon City, putting it on a direct route used by drivers moving between the two cities.
Undas, the Philippine observance of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day on Nov. 1 and 2, is traditionally one of the busiest travel periods of the year, as Filipinos visit cemeteries and travel to their home provinces to pay respects to deceased loved ones. A reopening ahead of those dates would return the lane to service in time for this annual travel peak.
The Dimasalang Bridge project is part of a broader slate of road rehabilitation works the DPWH is undertaking in 2026. The list includes Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA); the Andaya Highway linking Quezon and Camarines Sur; the MacArthur Highway in Apalit, Pampanga; the Buot-Taop Bridge in Cebu City; the Oyungan Bridge in Iloilo; the Tubod-Nabuna Bridge in Aloran, Misamis Occidental; and the Maharlika Highway. Taken together, the projects span Metro Manila and provinces across Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
Last month, the agency said it was targeting to begin the rehabilitation of Metro Manila's Circumferential Road 5 within the year. With the Dimasalang reopening tied to the completion of the asphalt and railing works, the pace of those remaining tasks — and whether the C-5 rehabilitation starts as targeted — are the immediate points to watch.
— Ashley Erika O. Jose
Source: BusinessWorld Online
