BAGUIO CITY – The city council approved a resolution inviting officials of the Cordillera office of the Department of Public works and Highways (DPWH-CAR) to appear before the local legislative body on Monday, May 23, 2016, to shed light and explain the current citywide construction of drainage systems which had been the major cause of traffic congestions in the city’s central business district.
The resolution authored by Councilors Michael Lawana and Fuastino Olowan cited there’re is a need for the DPWH-CAR to explain why the projects were implemented without appropriate consultations with the city government in order to facilitate the smooth implementation of the projects and prevent its significant impact to the traffic congestions within crowded areas around the city.
Barangay and city officials had been receiving numerous complaints and criticisms from local residents and visitors in the city’s 128 barangays relative to the on-going citywide construction of drainage systems along national roads and that they had even been blamed for such luckluster implementation of projects that contributed in the worsening traffic problems around the city.
The proponents admitted that on-going citywide construction of drainage systems resulted to massive traffic woes, potential risk to life and limb affecting the people and visitors in the city.
“With the upcoming rainy season, local residents and visitors are in a state of uncertainty whether or not the on-going citywide construction of drainage systems be completed before the rainy season will prevail in the city,” the resolution stated.
The council required DPWH-CAR officials to explain the status of the projects, their percentages of completion, the assurance that it will be completed before the onset of the rainy season, whether or not the projects will address the drainage problems of the city among others.
The members of the council want to know whether or not the contractors had been complying with the standard construction practices, whether or not the drainage systems are inter-connected throughout the city and will form part of the master development plan of the city and other related matters.
Local residents and visitors were irate over the simultaneous implementation of the various projects lined up for the construction of drainage systems that contributed in worsening traffic congestions that resulted to massive inconvenience among the motoring and commuting public.
The council expressed confidence that DPWH-CAR officials will appear during their regular session in order to douse cold water on the numerous complaints being received by the offices of city officials relative to the snailpaced implementation of the projects plus the fact that future projects to be implemented citywide must be done in close coordination with the city government so that appropriate planning could be done in order to was the serious negative effects of such construction activities to the traffic congestions around the city.
By Dexter A. See
