P1.6-B Isabela road to open soon

By Leander Domingo

SANTIAGO CITY, Isabela — With the opening of the more than P1.6-billion Ilagan-Divilacan Road, the coastal towns of Isabela will no longer be considered isolated from the rest of Luzon, according to Gov. Rodolfo Albano 3rd.

Albano said the road

 project, which is nearing its completion, will be fully opened to all types of motorists by early 2020 to connect Cagayan Valley (Region 2) and the rest of Northern Luzon to the Isabela’s coastal towns of Maconacon, Divilacan,

 Palanan and Dinapigue.

He added that a very small percentage of the 82-kilometer road project WAS being completed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Region 2 with final touches.

“The construction of this road project which is expected to be completed earlier than scheduled will certainly boost the economy of the coastal areas in our province,” Albano said.

The DPWH in Region 2 said the road that passes through the foothills of the 359,486-hectare Northern Sierra Madre mountain ranges will connect Ilagan City to the coastal towns of Isabela.

The road starts in Barangay Cabisera 10 and Barangay Sindon Bayabo in Ilagan City and ends in Dicatian village in Divilacan.

The road project has improved the old logging road that then Acme Logging Corp. used until the 1990s. The road construction started in March 2016 and was expected to be completed in four years.

“Once fully opened to all types of motorists, we will expect a boost in the economies of the towns of Maconacon, Divilacan, Palanan and Dinapigue including the whole province of Isabela,” Albano said.

Earlier, former Isabela Third District representative Napoleon Dy, brother of former governor Faustino Dy 3rd, now the vice governor, has questioned the construction of the Ilagan-Divilacan road due to alleged overpricing with P39 million allotted for every kilometer.

Despite a case pending with the Ombudsman, the road project is all systems go and will soon officially open to facilitate transportation of goods and services to and from Ilagan City and other parts of the province and the Cagayan Valley region.

According to the Department of Trade and Industry, prices of commodities in said coastal areas have already dropped because of ease of access as a result of the construction of the said road project.|