LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Rep. Eric G. Yap disclosed that the full rehabilitation of the historic and scenic Kennon Road will be realized following the recent announcement of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos, Jr. that its long overdue rehabilitation will be prioritized under the public-private partnership (PPP) scheme.
Earlier, the public works department recently rolled out the list of projects, including the rehabilitation of Kennon Road, to be prioritized under the PPP scheme which includes expressways in Cebu and Nueva Ecija.
The DPWH estimated that the rehabilitation of Kennon Road, one of the major access roads to the vegetable-producing Benguet province, will be around P12.45 billion.
“We thank our President Bongbong Marcos for heeding our call to prioritize Benguet, particularly the rehabilitation of Kennon Road. Hindi tayo binobola noong sinabi niya noong kampanya na he will help our province. This upcoming project will spur growth, it will boost our tourism activities in Benguet, it will provide jobs, it will create economic opportunities, more than the safe passage of people traversing the Kennon Road. Maraming salamat mahal na Pangulo,” Yap stressed.
Built by the Americans in the 1900s, Kennon Road has been undergoing major rehabilitation by phase since it was destroyed during the 1990 killer quake. The road was fully closed to motorists during the pandemic and re-opened on April 1, 2021.
“I keep wondering bakit masyadong matagal na nakasara yung Kennon to public when I first came as a caretaker representative, kaya we initiated yung funding for the demonstration bridge which is in full swing now in its construction. The next few years will be very crucial to Benguet development as we embark on this massive project to be funded by the national government,” Yap added.
Aside from the full rehabilitation of Kennon, Yap is also pushing for the improvement of major road networks in the province including the installation of safety devices and road barriers that will help guide motorists when traversing the treacherous roads of Benguet.
“We are now eyeing yung ibang major roads of Benguet, to have road safety devices and streetlights para ma-avoid yung mga road accidents. Similar to road safety devices na naumpisahan last year and mga solar street lights sa La Trinidad, we envision a brighter Benguet, literally and figuratively speaking. Tuloy tuloy pa din ang mga road openings to further open up our province to more opportunities. Exciting times ahead,” Yap said.
Kennon Road is the shortest route from the lowlands to Benguet and vice versa and haes the scenic zigzag road that had been serving the transportation requirements of residents and tourists alike before it was heavily devastated by the killer earthquake that struck the Northern Luzon area.
Moreover, Kennon Road is also known as the former Benguet Road that took more than 2 years to be built by both Filipinos and foreigners who were tapped to build the said road leading to the province and nearby Baguio City which was seen by the American colonizers as a conducive rest and recreation area.
