Human error, mechanical failure eyed in

Pasay crane accident

Rosalinda L. Orosa (The Philippine Star) - March 25, 2015 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines - The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA)
yesterday asked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to investigate
the collapse of a bridge girder launcher at the 1.6-kilometer Ninoy Aquino International
Airport (NAIA) Expressway project in Pasay City.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said the accident could have been caused by a
mechanical problem or human error.

“Reports said that the operator of the girder launcher had switched off its engine but it
continued to move and fell on passing vehicles,” Tolentino said. The crane fell when the
pressure of its hydraulic cylinder "went low."

DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson said they are looking at human error or mechanical
failure as the cause of the accident.

The incident caused monstrous traffic jams in the area after the crane fell on eight
vehicles the other day.

Although construction work on the four–lane elevated expressway is on a 24-hour

schedule, MMDA traffic engineering center head Noemi Recio said work involving the
use of bridge girder launchers should only be done between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.

He said a supervisor from DMCI Holdings, which is the project contractor, told the
MMDA that they were readying the girder launcher when it collapsed Monday afternoon.

Tolentino said work on the NAIA Expressway would still continue. But there would be no
work at the accident site unless there is prior coordination with the MMDA.

The DPWH has yet to remove the girder launcher at the site, he said.

Tolentino advised motorists to bear with heavy traffic in the area as the work on the
NAIA Expressway could be delayed by one month.

The expressway is set to be opened to motorists by October in time for Manila’s hosting
of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November.

Once completed, the NAIA Expressway will run from the Metro Manila Skyway to
Andrews Avenue near the NAIA Terminal 3.

The elevated expressway project, which is divided into four packages, is touted as the
first airport expressway in the country. Construction of the project began in January.
NAIA Skyway construction faces delay
BY THE MANILA TIMES
MARCH 25, 2015
CAUSE OF DELAY
Motorists pass the broken girder launcher that broke and fell on five vehicles late Monday. Because of the accident,
officials fear that the completion of the NAI Skyway project will be delayed.

The construction of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Elevated Skyway,
which began on January 2 this year, has temporarily stopped and is now facing serious
delay.

This is the result of an accident on Monday when a bridge girder launcher being used in
the construction broke loose and fell, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development
Authority (MMDA).

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said the contractor, DMCI, needs to look for a
replacement of the girder launcher because the one that fell can no longer be used.

“The construction might be delayed, but we are still hoping that it will be finished in time
for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit this year,” he told reporters.

He said the MMDA will investigate what caused the incident.

“Investigators are looking at two possible angles such as human error and mechanical
failure,” Tolentino said.

The bridge girder launcher, an equipment that helps put prefabricated precast girders on
prefabricated piers, fell at 3:32 p.m. on Monday.

Although nobody was hurt in the incident, five vehicles passing underneath were
damaged.

The incident also caused heavy traffic along the southbound lane of Tramo Road near
Andrews Avenue as roads were temporarily closed.

Thousands of passengers bound for the NAIA were affected by the shutdown, which
prompted them to just walk to the airport terminals.

The NAIA Expressway is a 1.6-kilometer elevated expressway project of the Department

of Public Works and Highways that runs from the Metro Manila Skyway to Andrews
Avenue near the NAIA Terminal 3. It will be the first airport expressway in the country.
The government hopes to finish the project in October in time for the holding of the
APEC summit.