New Sta. Maria-Cabagan Bridge collapses
Last night, February 27, 2025, the newly-built, PHP 1.2 billion Sta. Maria-Cabagan Bridge in Cagayan Valley collapsed, injuring at least 6 people.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region II has released an official statement and said that the billion-peso bridge collapsed when a 102-ton dump truck passed on the bridge.
“On February 27, 2025 at around 8:00 pm, the 3rd Span (from Cabagan Side) with a length of 60m of the Arch Bridge of Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge, along Cabagan-Sta. Maria Road, Isabela, collapsed when a dump truck carrying boulders with a calculated approximate gross vehicle weight (GVW) of around 102 tons passed on it,” said DPWH Region II.
The truck driver has already surrendered to the authorities. It was also learned that the 102-ton truck came from Kalinga and is headed to a construction project in Isabela.
According to the police, based on the driver's statement, a security guard guarding the bridge allowed him to pass through the area, and that he was also followed by another truck that was also allowed to pass through the bridge.
The construction of the bridge started on November 2014, and was completed on February 1, 2025, with a total cost of PHP 1,225,537,087.92 (Bridge & Approaches). The total length of the bridge is 990 meters, consisting of 12 Arch Bridges with a span of 60m and 9 spans of Pre-Stressed Concrete Girder (PSCG).
The Public Works department says that further analysis on the cause of failure is still on-going and DPWH Region II has already requested experts from the Bureau of Design and Bureau of Construction in the Central Office to conduct further evaluation and assessment.
