Cordillera road projects almost complete: DPWH

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY — The Cordillera office of the Department of Public Works and Highways here reported works under the P5.2 billion State of the Nation Address (SONA) projects in the provinces of Ifugao, Mountain Province and Kalinga are 93 percent complete.

Engineer Nestor Nicolas of DPWH reported from 2007 to 2009, their office received P5.2 billion for SONA projects covering Halsema Highway Phase II (Mountain Data-Bontoc Section), Phase III (Bontoc-Banaue Section), and Bontoc –Tabuk-Tuguegarao road.

The road projects were included in the SONA of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2006.

According to Nicolas, the P5.2B total budget for SONA composed of 86 projects of which 73 are already completed, two were suspended due to problems on Road Right of Way (RROW) and eleven were terminated.

To date, the P1.9 billion Halsema Highway Phase II is now 96 percent complete. It involves the construction of 35.6 kilometers of concrete road, while the P0.86 billion worth Phase III is now 96 percent complete.

It includes the construction of 36.35 kilometers of concrete road.

Meanwhile, the P0.948 billion Bontoc-Tinglayan Boundary Section 1 road project which includes the concreting of 23.28 kilometers of road is now 82 percent complete, while the P2.3 billion Tinglayan Boundary-Tabuk Section 2 Project that includes concreting of 57.34 kilometers is now 95 percent complete.

These projects when completed will greatly ease up travel to the Cagayan Valley and will open up greater economic and tourism opportunities to the areas traversed by these road networks.

Nicholas said local officials are helping the agency solve road-right-of-way conflicts in certain portions of roads so remaining works will be implemented smoothly the coming months.

Because of improved roads in the said areas, travel time from Baguio to Bontoc, Mountain Province had been reduced from six hours to only four hours while travel time from Bontoc to Banaue, Ifugao is now only less than an hour compared to the two hours travel time before the road was improved.