BAGUIO CITY – Some P750 million worth of infrastructure projects will be implemented by the Department of Public works and Highways – Baguio City District Engineering Office (DPWH-BCDEO) in the different parts of the city to and provide convenience to the commuting and motoring public.
Engr. Alexander C. Castañeda, DPWH-BCDE district engineer, said bulk of the funds will be used for the enhancement of national road network services, assets preservation in order to improve the infrastructure state of the city in preparation for the expected conduct of crowd drawing events in the coming months.
“We started to bid out the projects to qualified contractors short of award until such time that the appropriate documents ensuring the availability of funds for the projects shall have arrived in our office allowing the contractors to work on their projects while the weather is still good,” . Castañeda stressed.
According to him, the works that will be undertaken on roads include rehabilitation and reconstruction as well as upgrading of damaged paved national roads including drainage based on pavement management system or the agency’s highway development and management, especially along intermittent sections.
At the same time, he added the agency was also mandated to continue upgrading and rehabilitating the drainage systems along national roads in order to prevent perennial flooding in the city’s central business district area and barangays traversed by the national roads.
In terms of network development, the district engineer explained works that will be undertaken will be the widening of national and arterial roads in order to conform with the standards of the agency and to prevent congestions in the said roads during the expected influx of visitors from the lowlands in the coming months.
Among the roads to be widened include Kennon road, Kisad roadm Marcos highway, Naguilian road, and Session road.
In terms of the construction and maintenance of bridges along national roads, specifically retrofitting and strengthening of permanent bridges, Castañeda disclosed the bridges that will undergo improvements are the demonstration bridge along Manuel Roxas road, Manuel Roxas bridge, BGH flyover along the Baguio General Hospital (BGH) rutonda among others.
In terms of flood management services, the DPWH will be inderaking the construction and maintenance of flood mitigation structures and drainage systems, specifically along Bued river along Camp 7 to |Camp 8 to Gabriela Silang barangays, City Camp Lagoon drain tunnel among other flood control systems in the city.
Castañeda called on the public to bear with the inconveniences that will be caused by the simultaneous implementation of various infrastructure projects in the city during the summer months because their temporary sufferings will be replaced by long years of convenience after the completion of the programmed projects.\
“The government is doing its best to provide the public convei3ence in terms of better infrastructure that is why we seek the cooperation of our people on the projects that we will be implementing,” . Castañeda said.
By Dexter A. See
