FE Engineering Corporation, a Japanese engineering firm, and First Balfour Inc., the construction arm of the Lopez Group, formed a joint venture for a P7.7-billion project to strengthen two of Metro Manila’s oldest and busiest bridges against earthquakes.
The joint venture, JFE Engineering-First Balfour Joint Venture (JFE-FB JV), signed a contract with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to implement the Metro Manila Priority Bridges Seismic Improvement Project (MMPBSIP).
The project, funded by Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will upgrade the earthquake resilience of the 50-year-old Lambingan Bridge along New Panaderos Street in Santa Ana, Manila and the 46-year-old Guadalupe Bridge on EDSA in Makati City.
About 400,000 vehicles pass through Guadalupe Bridge daily, while Lambingan Bridge serves more than 30,000 vehicles.
Under the project, the joint venture will demolish the existing Lambingan Bridge and build a stronger arch-type steel bridge in its place. At Guadalupe Bridge, the concrete outer spans will be replaced with steel box girders, supported by new piers and retrofitted abutments for greater stability.
Temporary steel detour bridges will be installed during the Guadalupe Bridge works to maintain traffic flow and minimize disruption as the project proponents await the notice to proceed (NTP), expected to be issued in the coming weeks.
JFE Engineering has expertise in large-scale infrastructure projects, including power generation plants, pipelines, water and sewerage facilities, industrial machinery and steel structures.
First Balfour, a unit of First Philippine Holdings Corp., is recognized as one of the country’s leading engineering and construction firms. It has been involved in major projects such as the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway, the 150 MW Burgos Wind Farm, the North-South Commuter Railway, and a hyperscale data center in Quezon City.
