To address traffic problems in Bontoc Mountain Province, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) spearheads the infrastructure project on the construction of the Lanao-Tikitik Bypass Road.
Bontoc is a second-class municipality and the capital town of Mountain Province. As the center of commerce for the province, the municipality experiences heavy traffic, particularly on school days and market days.
Eduardo Dela Rosa III, a police officer, shared that Bontoc is experiencing traffic during school days and market days as suppliers with vehicles unload goods like vegetables and fruits near the market for business that affect the flow of traffic. They need to mobilize the traffic from 7:30 to 8:30 AM and 4:30 to 6:00 PM every day.
According to Roger Sacyaten, Provincial tourism officer, Bontoc is recognized as the economic hub for business and livelihood of the Mountain Province residents.
Tourists who want to go to the different parts of Mountain Province need to drop off in Bontoc as most of the transportation going to Maligcong, Paracelis, Sadangga, and Tocucan are found in Poblacion, Bontoc. During market days most of the people from different barangay travel to Bontoc to sell and buy products for their daily consumption and earn money.
Recognizing the situation, traffic congestion is one of the challenges in the community.
Engr. Abegail Longboan, Assistant Chief of the Construction Section of DPWH, said that they have conducted an assessment such as the traffic count as a prior requirement in building national roads. It came out that the result of the traffic count passed the requirement of a need to build another national road in Bontoc.
Longboan added that the Tikitik section of the Samoki Bridge is one of the major projects in the district of Mountain Province, and it will have a big impact once the bypass road is done.
Further, the bypass road is seen as a way to decongest the traffic caused by vehicles coming from and going to Lagawe, Kalinga, Barlig, and parts of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). Also, it will serve as an alternative route during the rainy season.
Myline Paspas, a resident of Chackchackan, Bontoc Mountain Province, for more than 30 years shared that since the existing roads to enter Bontoc are blocked by landslides, she believes that business owners and people with transactions can use the bypass road as an alternative route to avoid travel delays.
Moreover, the bypass road has an unexpected outcome, as the route holds the potential to attract tourists. This creates more livelihood for the locals residing in Lanao, Bontoc. The project has led to an increase in land values in the area. It is also used for recreational activities by the locals. Additionally, it will serve as a flood control to prevent the Chico River from overflowing and affecting the residents of Lanao, Bontoc.
The Lanao-Tikitik Bypass Road construction initially started in 2018, but it was funded in 2019. The construction of the road is still ongoing with no firm completion date as it is a multi-year funded project of DPWH.