• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The municipal government of La Castellana in Negros Occidental has temporarily prohibited heavy vehicles from passing through the route from Crossing Taborda toward Sitio Calapnagan in Barangay Biak na Bato.
The ban also covers vehicles traveling from Canlaon City, Negros Oriental and vice versa.
In an advisory, Mayor Añejo Nicor said trucking operators and drivers of 10- and 14-wheeler trucks, delivery vans, heavy equipment, and other loaded vehicles have been directed to use the road passing through Barangay Cabacungan toward Moises Padilla as an alternative route.
The temporary restriction was imposed due to the erosion of the foundation beneath the Calapnagan Bridge in Sitio Louisiana, Barangay Cabagnaan.
The damage was attributed to heavy rains in recent days and the flow of lahar from Kanlaon Volcano, which is now under Alert Level 2.
The municipal government advised motorists to observe the restriction and use the designated alternative route for their safety.
Meanwhile, the Calapnagan Bridge has been inspected by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), following a coordination through the office of Fifth District Rep. Emilio Bernardino Yulo.
John de Asis, head of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said the DPWH conducted the site visit on Sept. 16 and that the bridge, which has been in use since the 1950s, is now being prepared for rehabilitation.
The DPWH already sent heavy equipment to repair the collapsed portion of the road. | GPB
