BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved a resolution requesting the Department of Public works and Highways – Baguio City District Engineering Office (DPWH-BCDEO) and the City Engineering Office (CEO) to maintain and immediately repair roads with surface irregularities within their territorial jurisdictions.
The resolution authored by Councilor Maria Mylen Victoria G. Yaranon cited that national or local roads with surface irregularities do not only slow down the flow of traffic but are also considered as safety hazards that tend to contribute to worsening traffic jams and the occurrence of vehicular accidents around the city.
Among the roads that were identified to have serious road surface problems include South Drive, Ilusorio Drive, Bakakeng Norte road, Harrison road, Abanao St. and other similarly situated roads have concerns such as unrevealed manholes and drainage covers, cracks sinks, protruding water valve covers, construction debris and other obstructions.
Yaranon said the surface irregularities on national and local roads cause vehicular accidents because of sudden stops, wheel slips or primarily avoiding the obstructions posing a serious threat to the safety of life and limb.
The resolution proposed to minimize vehicular accidents caused by road surface irregularities, the said roads must be maintained and immediately repaired.
“Roads make a crucial contribution to economic development and growth and bring impotant social benefits. They are of vital importance to make a national grow and develop,”Yaranon stressed.
In addition, the resolution stipulated that good roads provide access to employment, social, health, and education services which makes road networks crucial in the government’s effort to curb poverty, thus, road infrastructure is the most important among public assets.
The resolution stated that thousands of vehicles ply the city’s roads and streets from point to point and vice versa thereby contributing to the deterioration of the surface that contribute to the existence of possible obstructions among others.
The DPWH-BCDEO is in charge of the maintenance of national roads while the CEO is in charge of maintaining city and barangay roads within the jurisdiction of Baguio City.
Yaranon raised the observation of the motoring public that there are numerous roads and streets in the city that have surface irregularities which have not been corrected to date that is why there are traffic congestions in the different parts of the city which is aggravated by the huge volume of vehicles flocking to the city during the weekends because of the reduced travel time from the lowlands due to the operation of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX).
Yaranon added that the concerned government agencies and the assigned department of the local government must maximize the use of their available maintenance funds to ensure that the pinpointed surface irregularities on roads will be immediately repaired and corrected for the benefit of the safety of the motoring public.
By Dexter A. See
