Barangay Gas Pipeline in Makati City and Magallanes Interchange Fact

Sponsor Links

Holes on the gas pipe in Barangay Bangkal, Makati City, were not caused by the weight of the Magallanes Interchange or the vibrations from passing vehicles, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials said.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the DPWH said the location of the damaged portion of the pipe was not under the retaining wall of the ramp of the interchange, but about five meters away from the wall.

“In the evaluation of the DPWH design experts, the weight of the wall and the vibration by passing vehicles has very little effect at the distance from the wall,” the DPWH said.

Moreover, the pipe damage that resulted in massive gas leak in Bangkal came in the form of small holes, not cracks, according to the study.

“Based on DPWH assessment, if the stress induced on the pipe by the structure well exceeded the resisting capacity of the pipe, the eventual damage that may be caused is the formation of cracks but not holes,” the agency said.

The DPWH study has shown that the stress and vibration transmitted to the pipe by moving vehicles on the ramp was “very minimal” considering that the height of the embankment near the location of the damaged pipe is about six meters and the pipe is about 1.5 meters underneath the service road.

The DPWH also explained that the 14-inch diameter pipe was even encased in about 10 inches of thick steel-reinforced concrete box which provided additional protection to the pipe against the effect of the weight of the structure and vehicular vibration.