HIGHLIGHTS RELATED TO THE TULLAHAN BRIDGE PROJECT:

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September 26, 2009 (Saturday): TYPHOON ONDOY (International Code Name: KETSANA) creates major havoc around the Tullahan Bridge/River area.

"For once the Tullahan River is crystal clear and devoid of the usual debris...!" exclaimed a family member who
had to stay overnight at school and only got to go home the next day "... but that's because them icky,
muddy, gross stuff are NOW all over the McArthur H'way and the buildings surrounding it!!!" >;-6

This Supertyphoon caught most of the Metro Manila area residents unaware (at least 80% was later proclaimed to have gone under water!)
due to floods caused by one-month worth of rainfall that all fell within a short span of 6 hours. Because it damaged flood-control barriers
and overfilled dams it became crucial for water to be simultaneously released that unfortunately exacerbated the problem when flashfloods
as a result reached unprecedented levels of 10-20 feet high!

Marikina City - once touted as "the Cleanest City in Metro Manila" - ironically became the poster-child place of the disaster within
the metro especially after Filipino Cable Channels broadcast around the world the desperate plight of a sexy young actress crying
for help on the 2nd floor rooftop of her flooded family residence.

I would have wanted to document more of the aftermath, but I had to shoot a Debut in Quezon City the day after on a Sunday
that by hook or by crook was scheduled to proceed no matter what.


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November (3rd week), 2008:

The MacArthur Highway road approaches in connection to the Tullahan Bridge is now completed!
Everything's back to normal - no more traffic once again (cross your fingers!). :-)

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November 15, 2008 (Saturday):

The McArthur Highway bridge approaches on the Valenzuela City side are finally done ... one long lane from
the Malabon City side however still remains excavated and is due to be cemented - weather permitting - soon.

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August 31, 2008 (Sunday):

Ever since Mayor Sherwin "Win" Gatchalian of Valenzuela City, Mayor Canuto "Tito" Oreta of Malabon City, Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr.,
and the Department of Public Works & Highways (DPWH) Secretary Hermogenes E. Ebdane Jr. paid an occular visit to the site two weeks ago
last August 15, a full-scale road repair project immediately got underway. This formerly-asphalted road that has gradually loosened after every
heavy rainfall (and therefore had become a dangerous nuisance for motorists and pedestrians alike) is being cemented once and for all.

A staggered kilometer-long lane on the downstream side involving the road approaches on both sides of the bridge has recently been
excavated about a foot deep . Meanwhile, the roller trucks are impacting/leveling the said area to give way for its eventual cementing.

NB: The Tullahan River water in the vicinity currently smells and looks like raw sewerage (ick!). >;-@

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July 10, 2008:

This is the first time I shot the Tullahan Bridge WITHOUT the recently dismantled rust-colored PEW obstructing the view ...!

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June 17, 2008 (Tuesday):

A few days ago I saw the so-called Permanent Elevated Walkway (P.E.W.) on both sides of the bridge finally
being welded apart by the DPWH. Today only the downstream walkway frame remains ...

On the first week of June the potentially dangerous potholes (see April, 2008 entry) have finally been asphalted to smoothen the roadway
for motorists. DPWH Engineer Eduardo Santos rightly explains that the R.C. Ramos Construction Company should not be blamed for failing to
immediately act upon the problem as R.C. Ramos "only built the bridge proper while the approaches were handled by Ferdstar Construction".

Meanwhile the Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (MWSI) continues to decomission some of its pipelines especially on the Malabon-side
approach to the bridge that currently contributes to the heavy traffic within the area.

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April, 2008:

Coming back to this portion of the highway a week-or-so later, it seems that the use of gravel was used to momentarily fill up the gaping
'pot'holes ("hellholes" is more like it!). This temporary potfiller, however, only gets scattered as the vehicles rush by and so in itself also
presents its own dangers.

Calling once again the DPWH !!!

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March 23, 2008:

A UEP-SAP TODA (Tricycle Owners & Drivers Association) spokesperson - Mr. Darius Andaca - approached me while I was shooting some photographic updates for this Tullahan bridge gallery. He pointed out the sunken level of the MacArthur highway at the Malabon City side near the Shell gasoline station. It seems that the asphalt has sunk like a pothole, stretching out to the other side of the highway in some parts. Apparently many accidents have occured involving motorcycle drivers coming from the Valenzuela City side who belatedly approach the uneven pavement while going down the road at a higher speed - it being a part of the highway that goes down on a slight incline. Mr. Andaca and company - who claims to have sent to the nearest hospital those that have been unfortunate - hoped that my pictures can help notify the proper authorities regarding this plight and have the road repaired as soon as possible before something more drastic happens ...

From what I know from previous encounters on how the logistics of the DPWH works, it seems that they would have to know first any other places nearby that similarly need asphalting so that the cost of sending huge specialized trucks (asphalt mixers and rollers) to do the job will be all worthwhile.

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November 17, 2007:

Roller trucks are currently impacting the recently-made potholes in order to get the road ready for the 2nd asphalting phase. Again I encounter familiar faces whom I got to know during the course of the 7 1/2 month Tullahan Bridge saga.

At the Malabon side the road island in the middle of the highway is being dismantled - along with the plants and trees that previously gave
shade and fresh relief from the drudgery of being stuck in regular traffic. I managed to find the last tree standing before IT too will have
to give way for the highway widening project - an offshoot of the Tullahan Bridge Project.

Also within the area I learned that a lot of business and residential establishments along the McArthur Highway are phasing out their operations with properties being sold left and right. I guess the new bridge will soon attract new life within the area (out with the old and in with the new ...).

Photo Gallery for today will be posted as soon as possible ...! The host server is currently having a
few gliches and uploading is either exceedingly sloooow or downright IMPOSSIBLE! :-(

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November 1, 2007:

Took my first random shots of the bridge post-Opening Day while travelling by car. The next day I read in the papers about complaints that
cracks have appeared (as - ho hum - expected) in the asphalted road. Looking back at the photos I took, I was fortunate (?) enough to
capture the said cracks - nay potholes! - that everyone dreaded about. And to think it was only opened to the public 4 days ago! :-(

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THE AFTERMATH: November 1, 2007 onwards ....

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"D-DAY" - October 28, 2007: ** MAJOR SCOOP! MAJOR SCOOP!! HEAP BIG MAJOR SCOOP THAT NO MAJOR MEDIA NETWORK KNEW ABOUT IT!!! **

The Tullahan Bridge was officially OPENED to all vehicles at around 11:20 am TODAY - 3 days ahead of schedule !!!

I just came from Manila in order to cover the Bonifacio Monument up close (gallery will be up within the week) in Caloocan City when I
decided to pass by the Tullahan Bridge area - 6 days since my last visit. It's a good thing I did for this is the culmination of 7 1/2 months
of photographic coverage since March 16 up to today.

From the Malabon City side I encountered the last of the machines used for the recently-asphalted highway until their driver/operators - along with the concerned personnel - left one-by-one. Why wasn't the road cemented as it should have been, I wondered? Once the heavier vehicles (buses, trucks, etc.) are allowed to pass through, will it be strong enough and hold? Remember that during the tryout opening last October 15 the road
had to be closed later that same day as the portion from the Malabon side predictably sunked a bit (oh alright - a lot!).

Present were the Department of Public Works & Highways (DPWH) Secretary Hermogenes E. Ebdane Jr., DPWH Assistant Regional Director
Angelito M. Twaño, Valenzuela City Congressman 2nd district Magtanggol ("Magi"/"Spice boy") T. Gunigundo, Malabon City Major Canuto "Tito"
S. Oreta, and various Engineers related to the Tullahan Bridge/McArthur Highway project led by Head Engineer Eduardo "Ed" Santos. The National
Broadcasting Network (NBN) government TV Station naturally came after a while to cover the event. If you watch the news on Channel 4 closely tonight, you might catch a glimpse of moi somewhere in the b/g, perhaps running around all over the place doing my own coverage (I sure HOPE not!!!) :-p

Took photos on the bridge in the middle of the highway as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd vehicles (all jeepneys!) from the Malabon City side (which was
closer to the bridge compared to the vehicles on the Valenzuela City side) crossed the bridge on this memorable day one-by-one! All those on
the bridge - public officials, a few leftover workers, and even yours truly clapped and greeted the drivers as their vehicles passed - while both
driver and their respective passengers greeted us and rejoiced in turn. :-)

I met Danny Alonzo (running for Barangay Councilor in Marulas district) who I knew from way back along with his fellow Barangay candidates on
the bridge, and one offered to take a picture of us both. Come to think of it, this was ALSO the first time I ever got my picture taken during
this whole renovation saga! And to think that it was to be the VERY LAST MEMORY STICK SPACE left on my camera, too! :-)

Photo gallery for this historic day (for Valenzuela and Malabon Citys, anyway!) have already been uploaded
and may be seen here: https://pbase.com/carinoza/bridge_october_dday_2007 .

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October 23, 2007:

Set to be TOTALLY ready - both bridge AND highway - by October 31, 2007.
I believe - based on the recent road renovation status - that they've FINALLY hit the jackpot this time! :-)

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October 22, 2007:

Today the street bulbs are almost done being attached on the light posts. The once sinking ground now seems to have stabilized when walked on.

The street vendors are slowly returning and finding their niche back on the bridge - except for the sunglass vendor, who seemed to be present all throughout this whole bridge/highway renovation project. As the bridge becomes open to ALL vehicular traffic, of course, their days in and around
the immediate vicinity are once again numbered.

Reflections: I pity the business establishments and residencial areas directly affected by this bridge/highway project. Like the huge Cosmos
Softdrink Plant once owned by the Concepcion family which was sold to the San Miguel Corporation, which in turn was sold to Coca Cola.
It's employees were given an early 'retirement' package and have gradually been phased out. This huge plant was once a bustling area
of activity (remember "Fress Root Beer" - one of our childhood guilty pleasures?) but is now an empty shell of a place.

With the elevation of the McArthur Highway, those who once had first floors now instead have automatic basements! Can you imagine the kind
of hell they'll now be anticipating - not to mention experiencing! - once the annual monsoon season starts again next year? Unless they can
afford their own physical adjustments and renovations, it is not a such good place to be stuck in nowadays .... :-(

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October 17, 2007:

For obvious security reasons, the San Miguel Brewery now has its own workmen starting to elevate the outer company walls as it had virtually
disappeared and almost been made level to that of the newly-elevated highway. The highway lightbulbs are still missing from its corresponding lightposts.

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October 16, 2007:

In an inevitable turn-a-round, the bridge is ONCE AGAIN CLOSED to light vehicular traffic!!! hohaaay

The focus of activities right now is on the levelling of the highway as preparation for the eventual attachment of the steel supports prior to
actual cementing. The walk across the bridge by now takes longer as one has to cover the whole length of the newly elevated - but still
unfinished - highway. Aside from that, the impacted road from BBB halfway through the San Miguel Brewery is still soft, therefore forcing one
to take each step with caution ...

Ever since the completion of the highway borders earlier this week, tributary side streets rippling from the nearby bridge have become inaccessible
to the main road (McArthur Highway), therefore rendering a traffic nightmare! In fact, a trip which normally takes about 15 minutes took almost
two hours (!) today as all vehicular traffic were limited to the small side streets with no immediate relief in sight.

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October 15, 2007:

For some reason the DPWH Management decided to open the bridge to light vehicles (cars, jeeps, FXs) after all!
Apparently they went ahead with the trial run that is usually held the day before the official opening of a newly-renovated highway.

This action to me seemed premature for the following reasons: see 1st paragraph of October 12, 2007.

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October 12, 2007:

FLASH REPORT: The bridge will not be officially opened to vehicular traffic as planned on October 16 after all! It seems that the drainage, water supply, sewerage system, PLDT (telephone) lines and topped off with the actual roadworks will not be finished on time - but a lot of this has to
do with the unpredictable tropical monsoon rains and typhoons (heck, even the rainy season arrived about 3 months late - Pinoy time nga naman talaga!) :-) Well, mabuti nang slowly but surely.

To my surprise, not only did the last unbulbed bridge light post remained unbulbed, but ALL the bulbs from the other lightposts have also been removed! I jokingly said to the workers that they didn't have to do that just so I could take a picture of the bulbs as they are being attached! :-)
The Head Electrician for the bridge project explained that the wrong bulbs have been delivered - the ones initially preferred are light-sensitive ones (?) that are supposed to turn off automatically at a certain set time i.e. at daybreak and turn on just before sunset. Apparently the ones they
initially attached and tested are the ones that when turned on remained so continuously (until it bursts from overheating, perhaps?). :-p

I finally had a heart-to-heart talk with the DPWH Official directly in-charge of the hands-on project ... He seemed to me a man of principle, someone his subordinates can proudly look up to. Without going into details (I'm not one of those gossipy reporters - heck, I'm not even an official reporter -
who don't respect people's privacy after all), let's just say that the bridge project is in good hands with this man in-charge.

Reflections: Many Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) work abroad not just to make ends meet, but to save enough to give their families back home
the basic neccesities, a few luxuries in life, and perhaps an investment in the future. One such unsung hero is the construction worker, especially
those assigned in The Middle East ... their back-breaking work under the heat of the sun that can reach up to 50 ºC or more is mind-numbing
(skin burning, even!) - and yet there is no shortage of peeps that don't mind being assigned there.

Like these bridge workers, the completion of this project would just be an all-in-a-day's-work for them, upon which they will be re-assigned to new projects elsewhere in the country. It must be a sad plight for families who hardly see their breadwinning dads, brothers, and/or sons for such long periods of time. The inconvenience a commuter experiences during this temporary bridge/highway renovation project thereby seems a pitance compared to what these hardworking peeps in turn must have to sacrifice all throughout their lives.

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October 5/6, 2007:

Finishing touches such as attaching the huge street light bulbs are under way. The Head Electrician told me to come back the next day
(wasn't able to do so 'till a week later) so that I could take a photo of the action as they attach the very last bulb on the lamp post.
Painting the first coating on the bridge is also ongoing ...

The main activity right now is focused on the drainage and sewerage works, as well as the simultaneous drilling of the existing highway
in preparation for its eventual elevation.

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October 1, 2007:

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo - along with Valenzuela City Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian and younger brother Congressman (District II) Rex -
visits Marulas district near the Tullahan Bridge https://pbase.com/image/86877727 ! Later in the day the Mayor was part of the President's entourage on her economic/state visit to Mainland China (but more about this later ...). :-p

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September 23, 2007:

The day featured mostly overcast skies which is a good condition for outdoor photo shots as it makes colors stand out more (mas lumalabas na matingkad ang kulay), with quick bursts of monsoon rains in the early morning and evening.

Again I was on the actual bridge itself ... the main work is now focused on the protective 1 meter high pedestrian walls with a few welding finishing touches on and under the bridge. About 4 drill trucks are now simultaneously wrecking the surface of the highway to make way for the boulder-filled landfill that will eventually elevate the said road by 2.7 meters at its highest - in tandem with the new height of the bridge itself ...

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September 16, 2007:

The whole bridge span was successfully cemented during the week despite the sudden arrival of heavy monsoon rains in the past two days. Again I went inside the work area while the workers pretended not to notice me and went on with what they were doing. Makes me wonder how certain workers always happen to get into my shots, though! :-)

Two days ago it was announced that the bridge will be open to pedestrians this coming Friday (September 21, 2007). But doesn't the so-called PERMANENT Elevated Walkway (PEW) on both sides of the bridge already serve that purpose? When asked, the bridge personnel claims that the
PEW is scheduled to be dismantelled once the pedstrian lanes on the bridge are finally cemented!

I once hoped that they could at least widen the bridge once it is renovated - well it seems that they have decided to stick to its former measurements. The present space between pedestrians and vehicular traffic in my opinion should be wider, as this is especially useful at
times like when there is heavy traffic and people would prefer to walk to their next destination. Anyways ....

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September 9, 2007:

The thick, grey, reinforced steel support are now completely spanned across the bridge while additional welding finishing touches are currently being made. I finally agreed to take photos in the actual working area (I used to refuse even though I was invited in before because I didn't wan't to distract the workers while they were working) on the condition that they continue with their work as if I wasn't there ("...deadma lang kayo - t.y.!").

You can now see men drilling and huge boulders placed on both sides of the road rippling away from the actual bridge area. This I believe will be used as road fill since the road level towards the bridge will now be elevated by at least 2.7 meters.

It is obvious that those in charge are now confident enough to be transparent with the overall project now that the actual bridge - in lieu of traffic rerouting, clearing up the waterways of refuse ad nauseum, and temporary/permanent pedestrian walkway woes notwithstanding - is NOW actually being constructed. That in itself I believe is the easier part, coz once all the distracting elements have been set aside, then work on the bridge
itself can finally proceed as planned.

Today I was given a tip that MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando will come for a visit early on Wednesday morning (September 12, 2007) along with a few VIP guests. I joked with the personnel within earshot that perhaps "BF" is instead coming with his no-nonsense 'henchmen' to clear out road obstructions, illegal vendors and/or squatters within the Tullahan Bridge area.

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August 15, 2007:



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August 10, 2007: MAJOR SCOOP !!!

Yesterday "Tyhoon Dodong" brought the much-needed rain to end a long dry summer, unfortunately it also brought along floods that made the Tullahan River overflow. As a result, any ongoing construction was once again postponed until the new debris washed near the bridge has been cleared up ...

This morning the MMDA personnel as usual were clearing the waterways while other bridge personnel were busy with the ongoing construction.
They were currently lifting with rope attached to the digging truck one of the MMDA barges that was thrashed under the water during the back-to-back typhoons in the past two days ... I just learned that the former Engineer-in-charge has been replaced after the TEW fiasco that brought about the nation's full attention to the said project.

Anecdotes: One of the families I've befriended while documenting the saga of the Tullahan Bridge had their small humble home flooded -
with icky mud all over the place. It seems that the MMDA is giving feelers that they'll have to relocate one of these days.

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July 31, 2007

As tipped by those in the know, the pre-fabricated steel framing for the last PEW was set up and put together today. Meanwhile, you can still see the MMDA personnel fishing out and loosening any impacted garbage left on the river. To their credit, these men do back-breaking work round-the-clock - even immersing themselves in the mucky waters if they have to - and all done with a cheerful mindset. I mean, the landfill-like garbage I shot the night before was nowhere to be seen by now and FINALLY in its place is free-flowing water going downstream.

At this point - as if in tandem with the river's now unobstructed flow - there is loose talk amongst ourselves about when the Tullahan Bridge will
finally be officially opened (October 16th?) to the public and about how everyone should be there to witness the inaugurating ceremony! :-)

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July 30, 2007

At around 5:00 PM / 17:00 H Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando made a surprise visit and promptly made
sure that the flow of pedestrian traffic went smoothly especially after people complained about the long lines when the last remaining TEW
was dismantled without prior notice. This included various vendors who were warned not to place their wares on space that only serves
to obstruct the pathway.

This was also the first time I took photo updates on the Bridge at twilight - you can now view it on a whole new perspective, I tell you!
I wish I could have stayed for a while longer, but I was with someone who was in a rush to get back on the daily commute ... :-I

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July 19, 2007:

Early this morning the popular #1 AM Radio Station in the country today - DZMM - was on the scene reporting about the said barge that carried
the backhoe incident and the intentional dismantelling of the wooden Temporary Elevated Walkway (TEW) which the DPWH claimed may give way anytime soon! Some radio comentators seem to be confusing it with the PEW located on the upstream side (that replaced the wooden one that collasped after the recent floods). Many complaints resulted coz now there was not enough walkway for the hundreds of pedestrians that cross
here everyday! hohaaay

Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. - Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Works - was also on the scene and downright went ballistic on what he claimed is the "Longest & Most Expensive Bridge Project in the Country" (!) today that was "... supposed to have been completed at the end of May" and called for the immediate resignation of the Department of Public Works & Highways - National Capital Region (DPWH-NCR) Regional Director Engr. Josefino Rigor. Hey, hey, hey, Mr. Senheydor (as pronounced by Comelec Chairman Mr. Benjamin Abalos!) ... relax for a bit!! Saang lungga ka ba biglang nanggaling? If you've been reading the papers regularly you would have known that the new deadline was set up to the end of September!

If you recall, the mayors from the affected cities have been calling for a proper rerouting scheme before the project can even be started - and
you can't blame them! For example, Valenzuela City - a major industrial town - will be most affected especially since other roadworks were already
ongoing in other areas that are the only possible places for such a rerouting (especially for heavy vehicles like cargo trucks) to occur! In the end
these initial projects had to be suspended to give way for the major renovation of the Tullahan Bridge ...

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July 18, 2007:

Today radio reports claim that a huge chunk of the much touted PEW broke off !!! Hmmm, I wonder if it was caused by dragging the afore-mentioned submerged backhoe under it? Double hmmm! :-) Gotta GO confirm and check that out!

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July 15, 2007: MAJOR SCOOP!!

You can now see the final piece of cement block that used to be part of one lane of the bridge. Those involved in its construction will utilize this piece for dredging-the-thick-silt-from-the-river equipment and as a temporary pedestrian lane (as you will find out "What for?" 3 days from now!)
until the last minute.

This weekend a major setback occured when the heavy backhoe truck went off-balance from the barge upon which it rested on and immediately
fell into the river! One bridge worker was injured and rushed to the hospital (the poor man). It seemed serious.
[*** UPDATE (July 20, 2007): He's ok. He'll recover (thank goodness) ***]

The obvious question the uninitiated (read: non-engineer) may ask is "how da hell will they manage to lift that heavy backhoe out of the water now that the bridge - save for about a 4 x 7 meter concrete island left standing - is out?". There seems to be no immediate solution - like the use of
lifting cranes, perhaps? - as the nearest solid ground is meters aways from the accident scene. As if that were not enough, there seems to be
NO way of accessing it by the river either since the recently-made Permanent Elevated Walkway (PEW) obstructs any close access to it!!!

The MMDA personnel tied a 2" thick rope onto the submerged machine, hoping perhaps to try and drag it under the suspended PEW and take it
closer to the nearest river bank for subsequent retrieval?

The local media only caught on with what was happening a few days later - most probably because any major work was again suspended
until the machine was retrieved.

Anecdotes: frequent visits along the Tullahan Bridge area have made this photographer familiar with the locals. Once I marveled at a seemingly abandoned old house and remarked what a great photographic study it would make, not immediately realizing - until one of the young vendors stationed along the highway proclaimed with great pride - that she and her vendor-family in fact lived there! They seemed pleased that someone even considered their humble abode a treasure-of-sorts ... In gratitude, they immediately told me that if any help is needed in photographing any subject within the bridge area then they would not hesitate to ask the help of their fellow vendors/neighbors to accomodate me. :-) Sometimes
they even suggest good vantage points and even offer to ask the engineer then in-charge of the project to let me have access into restricted
area and be in the middle of the action! At times like these I'll have to politely decline, prefering to record the event as unobtrusive and as
natural as possible. I mean, no one feels comfortable at work when people breathe down your back, right (... not that I'm tall enough to reach
people's backs, anyway) ? :-p

Since the project started it seems that everyone has become like one big extended family: someone's wife just gave birth to their first child;
a friend of another who was petitioned by her daughter has recently left the country to permanently live in Singapore; met a man who shared valuable insights into the history of the place, the people who lived there, and buildings of importance; and so on ....

That's unexpected networking for you!

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June 18, 2007:

Fortunately the start of the rainy season has been offset until August. That's why there was a continuity in the bridge renovation project ....
A new, more stable footbridge replacing the one destroyed by a recent flash flood was opened to the public on the last week of June.

This month there is a great vantage view of the ongoing construction and what remains of the bridge itself as the makeshift
'banig'-type barriers were set aside to accomodate the pedestrian traffic.

Will the whole project be finished in September as originally planned - just in time for the start of the Christmas season? Earlier, the
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said that the "ongoing construction in Tullahan Bridge will be completed in 150 days".

The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) admitted that alternative routes were deemed insufficient as they were often too
narrow to accommodate bigger vehicles such as garbage and delivery trucks.

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May 29, 2007:

As 'predicted', heavy rains around 6:30 pm/18:30 H created flash floods that swept down the makeshift wooden footbridge at the
eastern side of the Tullahan bridge! Fortunately the bridge still had one concrete lane left undemolished. The pedestrians were allowed
to use this just to get across the river. The affected footbridge was closed to the public just in time so no one was reportedly injured.

With this latest development, construction on the bridge was momentarily suspended until further notice.

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April 29, 2007:

A specially-made elevated wooden footbridge for pedestrians are set on both sides to make way for the gradual demolition of the
said bridge. Supported only by coconut tree trunks, it seems very precarious to me!

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March 17, 2007:

Renovation work on the Tullahan Bridge officially begins today!

Stone masons start pounding on the cemented structure; surveyors in turn position themselves at various points collating
road/bridge measurements for future constructuion reference. Vendors of various goods and services start to position
themselves along the now closed-to-traffic (except to pedestrians, pedicabs, motorcycles and tricycles) McArthur Highway.

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March 14, 2007:

After about a decade of talks, the government has finally given its approval to renovate major infrastructures around the
Metro which includes the renovation of the now low-lying Tullahan Bridge. Target Date for completion: September 30, 2007.

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