House backs re-engineering of dangerous Cordillera highways

By Dexter A. See

TUBLAY, Benguet — The House committee on public works supports the clamor of sectors in the Cordillera to “re-engineer” most mountain highways in the region to ensure safety of motorists.

Benguet Rep. Ronald M. Cosalan, chairman of the House committee on public works, bared this even as he admitted funding will be a major problem but there is need to inculcate among national leaders the importance of public safety along roads not only in the region but nationwide.

The lawmaker ordered officials of the Department of Public works and Highways in the Cordillera to submit their proposed re-engineering works on national roads in the region so funding will be remedied the soonest.

Among the proposed re-engineering works in major roads in the region include lowering of steep grades of highways, construction of sturdy concrete barriers in identified critical portions of the highways, putting up of service stations in steep grades of the roads to break the grade, putting up of more steel guardrails as well as installation of more signage and weighing stations so overloaded vehicles will unload excess baggage.

Cosalan said construction of mountain highways is the most expensive because of the need to construct drainage systems and slope protection walls.

One of the major priorities for re-engineering, according to Cosalan, is the Marcos Highway, which is considered as the region’s all-weather road, since there is an urgent need to reduce the grade of the 3.2-km steep portion of the road from a gasoline station in Baguio City to the state-of-the-art rockshed in Badiwan, Tuba, Benguet.

Based on a report submitted to him by Alexander Castaneda, DPWH assistant regional director, the killer portion of Marcos Highway has a maximum grade of 16.7 percent which is way above the supposed 12 degrees normal grade for mountain roads.