DPWH completes 13 Baguio road projects

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY – Thirteen out of the eighteen major road reconstruction and rehabilitation projects in the city were already completed by the Department of Public Works and Highways – Baguio City District Engineering Office (BCDEO) in order to guarantee the convenience of local residents and visitors, especially during the opening of classes in the education center of the north by the first week of June.

Engr. Ireneo S. Gallato, DPWH-BCDEO district engineer, said most of the five on-going road rehabilitation and upgrading projects which are located in the city’s central business district area will be completed by the end of the month in order to lessen the impact of the projects to the projected heavy traffic congestions during the opening of classes.

“We want to make sure that our people will not have added inconvenience during the opening of classes so we are taking advantage of the good weather condition to pressure our contractors to complete their awarded projects before the end of the month if it is possible,” Gallato said, citing that the rehabilitated and upgraded roads will lessen the floodings in major streets considering that the appropriate drainage facilities were also put in place as part of the programs of work for the road projects.

According to him, the completed road projects are the rehabilitation and upgrading of Government Center Road, Loakan Road, Philippine Military Academy (PMA) ROAD, Abanao Extension, Kisad Road, Andres Bonifacio Road, Harrison Road, Kayang Street, Abanao Road, Leonard Wood Road, Naguilian Road and Governor Pack Road.

On the other hand, Gallato disclosed the on-going road repair works are located at PMA cutoff I Road, Naguilian Road, particularly at Barangay Irisan, Kayang Extension road, Chanum Street and Manuel Roxas Road.

“We were successful in moving the bidding and implementation of infrastructure projects earlier. We want the public to have lesser inconvenience during the rainy season,” Gallato added, noting that three out of the five on-going projects will be completed by the end of the month so that the agency will not be blamed for wrongly timed implementation of projects.

For this year, Gallato explained Baguio was able to get an allocation of around P211 million from the agency’s regular infrastructure project funds which were divided into 18 projects along the city’s national roads.

Baguio City has a total of 95 kilometers of national roads which were already rehabilitated and have met the standards being required by the DPWH central office to guarantee the safety of the motoring and commuting public.

“We continue to appeal to the public to bear with the temporary inconveniences they are currently suffering as a result of the various road projects because lasting convenience will been enjoyed by the people after the completion of the on-going works,” Gallato stressed.

He clarified construction of roads in the Cordillera is much expensive because of the additional works and installation of additional facilities such s sufficient drainage facilities and appropriate slope protection walls to reduce soil erosions and floodings.

Considering the successful implementation of projects during the summer season compared to the previous practice, Gallato said he will strongly recommend to the DPWH central office that all infrastructure projects funded under the 2013 national budget will be bidded out in December so that they could start implementing the works by January.