LOCATION:
Tapul, Paranas, Samar, Philippines
Approximately 500 miles (805 km) southeast of Metro Manila, and 220 miles (322 km) northeast of Cebu City.
COMMUNITY DETAILS:
Tapul is a barangay (i.e., village) with a gross land area of 4,924 hectares. It has approximately 77 households and 387 total population. The community lives near the Ulot River. Ulot River causes them problems especially during the rainy season. The barangay planned and constructed a wooden bridge which they used for several years. Recently, that bridge was washed away by a typhoon.
Above (Left and Right): Prior to the existence of any bridge, Tapul residents were forced to cross the Ulot River by wading or swimming across.
The main project benefit was to reduce the difficulty for the community to transport agricultural products from farm gate to the nearest market. Without a bridge transportation cost is expensive. The community also had difficulty responding to health emergencies. In the year prior to project adoption by the chapter, an expectant mother gave birth in her 6th month of pregnancy. The family was unable to reach the hospital in a timely manner because the river was flooded, resulting in the death of the baby.
PROJECT SUMMARY:
The project team was evaluating a bridge for Tapul designed to be 2 meters in width and 25 to 30 meters in length. The bridge would be designed to handle pedestrian traffic, habal-habals (i.e., motorcyle taxis) and tricycles only. The design would be confirmed during the project assessment phase.
In the summer of 2025, construction of a bridge over the Ulot River was completed by the Tapul community, regional partners, and the Tapul Project Team. The team is now in the post-Implementation and Monitoring phases for the project.
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Below: Completion of a bridge over the Ulot River in 2025 makes the journey from one side to the other much safer and simpler.
PROJECT ADOPTION DATE:
June 2020 (Central Houston Professional Chapter)
PROJECT STATUS:
Active – Monitoring
TEAM LEADS:
- Agnes “Aggie” Alolod-Wark – Project Co-Lead
- John Robertson, PE – Project Co-Lead