P200-M Benguet alternate road rehabilitation slated

By Dexter A. See

KABAYAN, Benguet – Officials and residents around the Gurel-Bokod- Kabayan-Abatan Road and commuters who use the said road network have reason to be in high spirits after they were informed about the impending road rehabilitation project.

The “gift” is a P200-million financial aid for the initial rehabilitation of the unpaved 50-kilometer secondary national road that links the towns of Bokod, Kabayan, and Buguias, which would provide an alternative route for commuters who are always inconvenienced by the usual closure of roads due to landslides during bad weather conditions.

Benguet Rep. Ronald M. Cosalan said Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson, who took time out from his travel to stop by critical road sections from Beckel to Bokod, made a commitment to start rehabilitation works within the year.

Singson and his family was welcomed to a simple and instant “cañao” prepared by Cosalan with Mayors Faustino Aquisan and Mauricio Macay, of Kabayan and Bokod, respectively, during a recent visit and trekking in Mount Pulag, the second highest mountain peak in the country.

Minutes after coming down from the 2,922 meter Mt. Pulag summit recently, Singson met with local officials of the two towns, Cosalan, and DPWH engineers Albert Gahid and Dominador Daway and discussed strategies on how to repair the said road network.

The scope of work would include widening of the existing road to hold a 5.5 meter-wide concrete road pavement, slope protection, line canals, and cross-drainage systems.

Singson said the road bends would have wider concrete pavements to allow larger passenger buses and trucks coming from opposite directions to negotiate the curves at the same time.

Aside from the Madaymen-Kapangan-Tublay Road, the Bokod-Kabayan-Buguias Road is used as a second alternate road to Baguio City and Nueva Viscaya for commuters and farmers from Bauko, Mt. Province, and further north.

Concerning the Guesset landslide along the Beckel-Bokod road stretch, Singson told Gahid to help push down loose aggregates in order to hasten natural stabilization process.

The Guesset landslide was triggered by typhoon “Pepeng” in 2009, was cleared and initially stabilized last year but was again washed down by typhoon “Juan.”

At the same time, Singson took advantage of the Pulag occasion to announce a commitment to set in place a cemented tire-path to connect the Bokod-Kabayan road to the Ranger Station in Mt. Pulag.