DPWH issues bridge vertical clearance guidelines

Elevated structures, such as railways, flyovers, bridges and footbridges, shall comply with the latest minimum vertical clearance requirement of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). 

Public Works Secretary Rogelio L. Singson recently issued Department Order (DO) No. 53, series of 2016, updating the standard vertical clearance above overhead structures to ensure the sufficient clearance of tall vehicles passing underneath roadways.

Under DO 53, vertical clearance above the roadway shall not be less than 4.88 meters over the entire roadway width, to which an allowance of 0.15 meter shall be added for future additional road surfacing.

Pedestrian footbridges over roads, on the other hand, shall be 0.30 meter greater than the vertical clearance to reduce the risk of truck impact against pedestrian bridges which have low load capacity.

Minimum vertical clearance shall also be provided below the coping at locations where a portion of the carriageway is underneath the coping (e.g., intersections, U-turn slots) to allow the safe passage of vehicles.

The clear height/headroom between the pedestrian bridge walking surface and the bottom of the girder of the structure above it shall not be less than 2 meters.

In another development, Singson assured that an informed decision on the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway Project (TPLEx) will be made public once the final alignment has been established.

The DPWH continues to assess all concerns of project-affected persons by consulting and having dialogues with stakeholders.

Singson said the DPWH TPLEx team—composed of the department’s Legal Service, Public-Private Partnership Service, Environment and Social Safeguards Division-Planning Service, and Stakeholders Relations Service offices—is holding discussions with local residents and leaders, particularly from the municipality of Pozorrubio, Pangasinan province.

“Our DPWH TPLEx team has had meetings with residents of Barangays Amagbagan, Batakil, Bobonan, Cablong, Palguyod, Palac-Palac, and Talogtog in Pozorrubio, from Mar. 9 to 11, to discuss landowners’ and tenants’ modes of lot acquisition, the process of acquiring lots, and documentary requirements for right-of-way claims,” said Singson.

The team also held prior consultations on Dec. 4, 2014 and Dec. 7, 2015 in Pozorrubio, and the first barangay meeting in Talogtog on Jan. 27 this year.

“We want to make sure that all their concerns will be heard and answered, so that proper compensation will be provided to those who are qualified to receive so as not to further delay completion of this big-ticket project that will surely benefit travelers to the north,” Singson said.