Serious doubts have been raised by engineers over the quality of the bridge being constructed along the Virac boulevard last week after one of its 27 reinforced concrete deck girders allegedly broke into three pieces after it was accidentally hit by a backhoe.
Photos of the fallen girder and the bridge went viral in several social media posts by concerned netizens, with comments expressing disbelief that the supposedly sturdy girder could just easily crumble.
According to a reliable source, the bridge under construction is part of a P160 million contract awarded by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Regional Office No. V to GCI Construction, a Naga City-based company.
It is claimed that the project, as well as the ongoing rehabilitation of the concrete pavement along the national highway from the vicinity of the airport runway towards the Fiat Village compound, has been subcontracted at a much lower cost by a construction company from Central Luzon as its equipment has been seen deployed at both projects.
Knowledgeable sources told the Tribune that muddy aggregates were allegedly utilized in the concrete intended for the girders and that the cement factor used for the concrete mix was considerably below the standard 15 bags for every cubic meter of concrete.
Also, the contractor’s engineer apparently forgot to place pick-up points in the girder that would allow a crane to lift it into place.
As a result, the crane operator had to procure steel cables which were jerry-rigged to provide the needed pick-up points for the crane.
The girders are supposed to be pre-stressed or applied with a set amount of compression, before concrete is poured.
The pre-compression, achieved by the use of steel tendons or wires which are tensioned before or after the concrete is cast, creates a compressive stress on the concrete which helps it resist external loads when it is already in place. Once cured or hardened, they are lifted in place between the bridge piers.
A concrete girder that has not been pre-stressed cannot be lifted as it would just collapse under its own weight, it is claimed.
According to a source, the pre-stress tension applied on the girders was inadequate as the resulting camber or upward curvature of the girder could not even allow a thumb under it, instead of the required camber of four inches.
An end of the one of the girders allegedly crumbled after tension was applied, with the damaged section to be repaired using epoxy.
The DPWH regional office has already been alerted about possible irregularities in the construction of the bridge but it is not certain if the matter has been brought to the attention of its project engineer.
As of last week, the broken girder remained on site, as lifting it off would cost the contractor about P50,000 for the rental of the crane.
It is also alleged that the same company has also subcontracted the road repair project being implemented along the national highway that began last June 2025 at the airport runway junction.
The resulting construction activities has slowed traffic at the key section of the Virac-San Andres highway due to the slow pace of concrete pouring.
Due to mounting complaints from both motorists and commuters, the Sangguniang Bayan of Virac is reportedly inviting the subcontractor as well as DPWH regional officials to a committee hearing intended to find out the cause of the delay.