Cordillera roads still in close-open situation

BAGUIO CITY – Land travel in the different parts of the Cordillera has become unpredictable over the past few weeks because of landslides as a result of continuous rains.

Engineer Enrico Guilas, regional director of the Department of Public Works and Highways bared this last week identifying main roads still in unpredictable situation.

These included Halsema highway, Benguet-Nueva Vizcaya road, Abatan-Mankayan-Cervantes road, Acop-Kapagan-Kibungan-Bakun-Buguias road, Bokod-Gorel-Kabayan-Buguias road and other provincial and municipal roads regionwide.

According to Guilas, the biggest problem of the agency is clearing huge volume of debris blocking the Gonogon section of the Halsema highway in Bontoc, Mountain Province thereby preventing smooth flow of vehicles in the province.

Guilas described the landslide as over 150 meters in height and at least 100 meters long whereby over 30,000 cubic meters of debris continuous to fall on the roadline.

While there are several units of heavy equipment incessantly working to clear the slides, debris continue to fall from a mountain slope because of loose soil and rock formation, thus, the difficulty in clearing the slides.

Thousands of people coming in and out of the Mountain Province have to walk through a man-made bailey bridge to ride on waiting vehicles on opposite directions of the huge landslide.

Another critical road is the Benguet-Nueva Vizcaya road where it is closed to vehicular traffic during heavy rains because of falling debris from a mountain slope in Itogon town where units of heavy equipment have a difficult time clearing the slides due to danger it poses to lives of workers.

Guilas added the same situation is also true with other roads which are in a close-open situation, thus, the need for utmost understanding among motorists since they have deployed units of heavy equipment and hired heavy equipment of contractors in various places to ensure all major roads linking the region are open to vehicular traffic.

Despite the installation of slope protection walls and the establishment of appropriate drainage systems on the roads in the region, Guilas admitted no one could really predict the effect of the occurrence of natural calamities that affect safety of the public although they are doing their best to make sure the region’s roads are safe for travelers. – Dexter A. See