LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The municipal government appealed to concerned residents of Central Balili and Lubas whose mobility had been affected by the closure of the Pines Park bridge to extend their patience in awaiting the improvement of the temporary access route in Sitio Tebteb which is currently being undertaken by the concerned offices of the local government.
While it is true that the local government initially opened the temporary access road during the holidays, Mayor Romeo K. Salda stated this was closed to vehicular traffic last Sunday to allow the workers to complete the installation and backfilling of box culverts to ensure the safety of the motorists and pedestrians.
He said that the local government is speeding up the improvement of the access route for motorists to help in easing the difficulty of residents in Central Balili and Lubas in trying to pass through long routes to reach their destinations.
Earlier, the State-run Benguet State University (BSU) allowed the use of a portion of its property in sitio Tebteb to be improved by the municipal government as an access road following the closure of the Pines Park bridge after it was found to have incurred damages on its foundation over the past several years.
As its counterpart, the municipal government provided funds amounting to P3.5 million to improve the proposed Tebteb access road so that motorists going in and out of Central Balili and Lubas will not experience difficulties in going to and from their desired destinations.
The La Trinidad council authorized Mayor Salda to enter into an agreement with the BSU administration headed by its president Dr. Felipe S. Comila on the terms and conditions on the use of the property of the higher education institution as a temporary access road for the affected residents in the said places.
The local chief executive disclosed that he already instructed the concerned offices in charge of working on the improvement of the access road to fastrack the ongoing works so that the local government can already open the same for public use once the box culverts and its backfilling have been found safe.
The mayor expressed his gratitude to Benguet caretaker congressman and Anti-Crime and Terrorism through Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) Party-list Rep. Eric Yap for ensuring the availability of the funds amounting to approximately P80 million to improve the Pines Park bridge to make it much safer for motorists to traverse.
The proposed improvement of the Pines Park bridge will include the putting up of a concrete structure with enhanced foundation to withstand the huge volume of motor vehicles and pedestrians expected to us the bridge in going to and from their destinations within Central Balili and Lubas once completed and opened for traffic after the completion of the programmed project by the public works department.
