BAGUIO CITY – The Cordillera office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH-CAR) mandated all district offices and contractors of public works projects in the region to use quick dry concrete mix or the so-called one-day concrete for major projects to lessen the inconvenience of the public passing through project sites.
DPWH-CAR regional director Engr. Tiburcio Canlas said that projects programmed in intersections and busy roads should already incorporate the use of quick dry concrete mix so that the project sites could be immediately opened in just 3 days instead of using the 14 or 21-day concrete mix that prolong the curing period and sacrifice of motorists.
He claimed he already issued a memorandum to the different district offices to consider the use of the quick dry concrete mix in programming their projects in busy roads and that the same was again reiterated by a similar order recently with emphasis on the different intersections and busy roads.
“We proved the importance of the use of quick dry concrete mix in our major project along Marcos Highway which significantly lessened the inconvenience to our motorists that is why we want to start using the same in our major projects,” Engr. Canlas stressed.
The DPWH-CAR official disclosed that aside from Marcos Highway, the other project sites where the quick dry concrete mix will be used will be the Baguio-Bontoc Road or Halsema Highway considering that it is one of the major roads linking Baguio City and the different parts of the Cordillera, thus, motorists going in and out of the city should not be unnecessarily delayed in their travel.
According to him, the agency can no longer afford to contribute to the unnecessary delays in the travel of motorists thus the latest technology that could be employed to fastrack the implementation and completion of projects will have to be used and put in place by the regional and district offices in partnership with the contractors.
Canlas explained while the provision of the use of the quick dry concrete mix will be an added expense, the same will be included as part of the project cost thus the contractors will have to do is simply to implement the project plans and specifications and open the project sites in less than 3 days.
He stated that after the use of the quick dry concrete mix will be enforced in critical project sites in the region, the same will be mandated to be used in other projects to ensure the public will not be inconvenienced by the various infrastructure projects funded by the government as contained under the annual budget of the government passed upon by Congress.
Last month, re-blocked portions of Marcos Highway that used the quick dry concrete mix were immediately completed way ahead of the prescribed contract period and were immediately opened to the public with the least convenience that earned the appreciation of concerned sectors not only in the city but also in the different parts of the region.
Canlas appealed to the public works contractors that will be awarded projects using quick dry concrete mix to comply with the project specifications and standards considering that the agency wants better implementation of projects in the region.
By HENT
