By Nueva Vizcaya and Maricel Cruz
The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has conducted the initial inspection on the recently-completed P32 million Wacal Bridge in Solano, Nueva Vizcaya, which was built under the Tulay ng Pangulo para sa Kaunlarang Pang-Agraryo (TPKP) project and is intended to provide the farmers with easier access to transport their products to the market.
Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer Rustico Turingan said the project was funded by the DAR in the implementation of the TPKP project in partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the local government of Solano.
Turingan disclosed that the construction of the steel bridge started in October 2021 and was completed this year. The official turnover of the bridge to the local government of Solano will immediately follow after the final inspection to be conducted by the DPWH.
“The P32 million steel bridge is 22.4 lineal meters and seven meters wide and has a capacity of 20 tons. Thus, it can accommodate all types of vehicles,” Turingan said.
The bridge, he said, will benefit more than 4,500 residents including agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) at the Uddiawan agrarian reform community (ARC) and neighboring barangays.
“The bridge is intended to ease the transportation of the farmers’ products from their farms to the market so that they would be able to sell them at a fair price and increase their income,” Turingan said.