BAGUIO CITY – The City Government announced the Department of Public Works and Highways–Baguio City District Engineering Office (DPWH-BCDEO) will start implementing the P65 million previously earmarked for the city’s sidewalk rehabilitation project for the put up of standard sidewalks in the city for the safety of pedestrians and to make the same friendly to Persons With Disabilities (PWDs).
City Administrator Bonifacio dela Peña said the sidewalk rehabilitation projects to be implemented anytime includes the P25 million for the area fronting a gasoline station along Abanao extension up to the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) area and the P40 million previously programmed for the sidewalk along Gov. Pack Road up to portions of Leonard Wood Road.
Aside from the programmed and funded sidewalk rehabilitation projects, the city government is also awaiting for funds to implement similar projects for sidewalks along Session Road and other main roads of the city to ensure the safety of pedestrians and to encourage people to walk on the said sidewalks.
The city administrator appealed to the public who will be encountering to bear with the inconveniences during the implementation of the project as the implementing contractors will exert extra effort to ensure the timely completion of their works without sacrificing the quality of the standard sidewalks.
According to him, while the DPWH-BCDEO is the source of funds and the implementing agency of the said projects, there is a close coordinating between the technical personnel of the agency and the city government on the infrastructure needs of the latter to be augmented by funds from the national government for those which cannot be funded by the city.
He assured that there will be more funding support from the agency for more sidewalk rehabilitation in the city in the coming years to help ensure the safety of pedestrians and empower the people to walk around thus sidewalks should have sufficient width for people to maneuver.
The specifications of the initial sidewalk rehabilitation projects will include the use of Porac sand and tactile as a guide for PWDs using through the sidewalks.
The city government department head assured the sustained coordination between the DPWH-BCDEO and the city government on the priority infrastructure needs of the city for funding from the national government in the coming years to ensure the realization of the desired state of development in the city.
The proposed standard sidewalks in the city will also be implemented in the different barangays to achieve standard sidewalks all over the city and to make the said infrastructure conducive for people to walk as some sidewalks actually do not conform to standards.
By Dexter A. See
Photo by Armando M. Bolislis
