Dagupan road works slated to stop floods

By Jennelyn Mondejar

DAGUPAN CITY, Pangasinan — An official of the Department of Public Works and Highways vowed to fast-track the planned upgrading of a major highway in this city to stop flooding while appeasing fears that heavy traffic will hound major events set in the first quarter of this year.

After emerging from a meeting with DPWH Region 1 officials, Mayor Benjamin S. Lim said traffic congestion is expected to build up once upgrading of national roads in the city begins.

Lim said Dagupeños will have to deal with a difficult traffic situation during the celebration of Valentine’s Day and junior-senior proms in February; graduations in March and April; the Holy Week, and even the Bangus Festival.

DPWH District Engineer Rodolfo Dion assured that the special events of the city will not be affected as his office plans to fast-track the construction not just of the entire stretch of A.B. Fernandez Avenue (ABFA), but also the sidewalks and the drainage system.

Instead of a work schedule from 100 to 120 days, the contractor will finish it within 80 days, said Dion.

Dion met with Lim, City Engineer Virginia Rosario and other City Engineering Office staff late last week and discussed the project to elevate by up to 40 centimeters the ABFA, which measures 800 linear meters.

Dion said the construction may start in the last week of February or first week of March with an allocated fund of P49 million from the 4th Congressional District, under Rep. Gina de Venecia.

The DPWH official cited importance of the undertaking. “Dagupan’s streets are obviously lower than sea level,” he said, noting that even without rain, ABFA is flooded.

Based on the observations of the DPWH, the reason for this can be attributed to the following: first, global warming or rising sea level; second, subsidence due to too much extraction of water from the soil; third, liquefaction which is an after effect of the 1990 earthquake; fourth, obstruction of water flow due to dikes and roads that impede water flow back to the rivers; and fifth, due to siltation of rivers.