Plans are underway for the installation of the dismantled Talave Heritage Bridge at Park Marina in San Carlos City.
San Carlos Mayor Renato Gustilo will discuss the plans with the city engineers so they can come up with the final design to complement the architectural and structural components of the old bridge, Joe Recalex Alingasa Jr., head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said on Sunday, August 11.
“Mayor wants to assure that it will conform to the guidance of heritage experts such as the National Historical Commission of the Philippines once it will be approved,” Alingasa said.
Strict housekeeping and inventory of the bridge parts was done on instructions of the mayor, he said.
The 100-meter steel bridge, which crossed the Talave River connecting Calatrava to San Carlos City, was built in 1933 by the United States Steel Products Company.
It was dismantled by the Department of Public Works and Highways, saying it was no longer safe for public use.
Heritage advocate Andoni Llantada Valencia, who had been calling for the structure’s preservation, said the demolition began in July 2023 and was completed in July this year.
The reinstallation of the Talave Heritage Bridge to connect the Park Marina Esplanade could become a future tourist attraction in San Carlos City, Alingasa said.
It is also adjacent to the People’s Park where the oldest steam locomotive “Uno” of the former San Carlos Milling Company Inc. is located, he added.*