Kalaklan Bridge Update

Comment from a reader on "Temporary Bridge Needed At Kalaklan"

The rumored (?) closing of the back gate, the apparent indefinite closing of the main gate and many other questions concerning SBMA and Olongapo is at least disturbing in the sense that there is no apparent information available to the public on these and other items. There is probably 200-300 thousand people in this area, but yet no newspaper and no websites which give out this data or other data/information on whats going on in either location. I may be wrong but it seems like the old adage of "keep them barefoot and pregnant" is at work. If there is a source of information on these items and other items in general, please advise.

and another:

1. December 1, 2009 - SBMA transmitted Notice of Award to the contractor.
2. December 2-18 - SBMA provided Contract to contractor for review and signature and the same will be submitted back to SBMA.
3. December 21-24 - Notice to Proceed (NTP) with effectivity of January 4, 2010 will be issued to contractor.
4. Start of Contract is January 4, 2010 and estimated Completion Date is one year after.
5. Announcement of bridge closure:
a. Vehicles - one month announcement from January 4 to February 4, 2010
b. Pedestrian - announcement from January 4 to March 1, 2010

6. Kalaklan Bride will be closed to vehicular traffic starting February 5, 2010 and will be closed to pedestrians starting March 2, 2010.

Obviously, everybody is concerned about the traffic that will ensue due to
the bridge closure, especially since the Main Gate Bridge is already closed
to vehicular traffic for several months now.

The Chamber, during one of the discussions in the SBMA/SBFCC Land-Use
Planning Working Group, had suggested to SBMA the possible option of
constructing the new bridge in parallel but offset and a distance apart from
the existing bridge. This way, construction can proceed without the need to
close the existing bridge. This, understandably, is easier said than done.

In any case, while convenience is of great importance to us, safety should
still be considered first and foremost. Both bridges are considered no
longer very safe (Main Gate Bridge more so) for vehicular traffic especially
for heavy trucks and is the very reason why new ones will be constructed in
the first place.

[The Subic Bulletin] Even little bridges up in the province get a temporary bridge during major repairs or reconstruction, Why is the not possible for "A world class Freeport".
The obvious solution is to build a new bridge next to the existing one and leave the existing one for pedestrians only until there is budget to rebuild it as well, doubling the capacity.