BAGUIO CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways–Baguio City District Engineering Office (DPWH-BCDEO) announced the ongoing reblocking of some portions of Marcos Highway will be completed by November 18, 2019 and that all lanes of the road will be opened to vehicular traffic on the said date.
Engr. Alfredo Bannagao, Jr., project engineer of the Marcos Highway reblocking project and chief of the DPWH-BCDEO construction division, said the immediate completion of the project was an offshoot of the agency’s meeting with the contractor, Goldrich Construction, considering that Marcos Highway is the main highway leading to Baguio City and any unnecessary delay in the completion of the project will contribute to monstrous traffic congestions that will have a serious negative effect on the peak tourism months.
Earlier, the P7.7 million Marcos Highway reblocking project which was divided into two sections was programmed to be completed within 45 days or from November 4, to December 21, 2019. One section is the 549-meter stretch from the boundary of Tuba, Benguet in front of a show room of a car company up to the area fronting the Cordillera office of the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS-CAR) and the other section is the 126-meter portion of the road in front of the Bakakeng Central basketball court up to its junction with Kitma Road.
However, Bannagao disclosed that aside from working round the clock, the contractor used a quick dry concrete mix to ensure the speedy completion of the project for the convenience of both the motoring and commuting public.
According to him, both the reblocked sections of the road were already poured with the quick dry concrete mix and the remaining works of the contractor is to clear and clean the work areas in preparation for the eventual opening of the main road leading to the city.
The DPWH-BCDEO official expressed his gratitude to the motoring and commuting public for their cooperation during the implementation of the reblocking project, saying that the temporary inconvenience caused them will be translated to continuous convenient travel because of the improve condition of the road surface, especially in the reblocked portions of the road.
Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong also inspected the project sites to check on the proper implementation of the programmed works and the completion of the project way ahead of the projected timetable of the agency.
Bannagao claimed the completion of the project within 13 calendar days as against the 45-day contract duration is a record-breaking one, especially that the project sites were busy portions of the road, thus, it is possible for contractors to complete their awarded projects at the soonest possible time without sacrificing the quality of their works if they are really dedicated in prosecuting their awarded projects.
By Dexter A. See