MANILA CITY—Following the fire incident at Brgy. Balon-Bato, Quezon City which affected the Balintawak Interchange Bridge, the Department of Public Works and Highways conducted an initial inspection recently to determine the extent of damage on its structural integrity.

DPWH NCR Regional Director Loreta M. Malaluan immediately deployed the Bridge Inspectorate team for initial inspection and assessment. The deployed team reported that the existing retrofitting of the DPWH completed in 2015 may be damaged. However, a detailed engineering investigation will be conducted to further assess the concrete’s compressive strength.

The agency assured that the bridge remains structurally sound, and is still passable to light vehicles. In the meantime, the DPWH advised that all heavy vehicles are not allowed to pass temporarily, until the result of the detailed engineering investigation is confirmed. (Dpwhpio/Renante Arjay Jarobel)