TUBA, Benguet – Frequent motorists and concerned residents living along the stretch of Kennon road criticized the contractors of major projects being implemented by the Cordillera office of the Department of Public works and Highways (DPWH) for their alleged snailpaced implementation of their awarded works which is delaying the possible opening of the road to motor vehicles that will contribute in lessing the congestion along Marcos highway.
Sources, who always take the risk of passing along the 34-kilometer roadline to save on travel time going in and out of Baguio City, claimed that the contractors are not working round the clock to ensure the immediate completion of their awarded projects aside from the fact that they have only few personnel working in their project sites as if they are taking their time to complete their works which is no longer in accordance to the standard way of implementing projects.
The sources questioned project engineers and DPWH-Car officials for their alleged failure to compels their contractors to work round the clock to ensure the immediate completion of their projects with lesser inconvenience to the residents living in the villages along the stretch of the road and the motorists wanting to use the shortest route to and from the country’s undisputed Summer Capital.
“We believe that the mode of implementing the major projects along Kennon road is no longer in accordance to the mandate of President Rodrigo Duterte to make sure that quality projects are completed in their prescribed schedule. It seems DPWH-CAR officials are happier to see that Kennon road is closed rather than being opened to the public for whatever reasons,” one of the sources stressed.
The source underscored that Kennon road is a major national road which mut be open at all times to motorists and residents but it seems the DPWH-CAR continue to ignore the plight of motorists and residents for the opening of the road to vehicular traffic and deploy the needed units of equipment and manpower in the identified critical sections for timely responses to emergency situations.
According to them, those who encountered accidents along the road recently were motorists who were allegedly under the influence of liquor and not related to the condition of the road that is why there is no more compelling reason for the agency to close the road for supposed safety reasons.
Earlier, residents living along the stretch of Marcos highway were elated after concerned government agencies allowed the temporary opening of Kennon road because the tremendous traffic that occurred along the road when the other route to the city was closed that contributed to the robust economic activities in their places.
The sources claimed that the advertisement of the opening of an alternate route to Baguio which is the Tubao-Nangalisan-Asin-Baguio road did not serve its purpose because it was never patronized by motorists because the route is much longer than Kennon Road and Marcos highway, there are numerous obstructions along the roadline, there is poor lighting along the road aside from the fact that there are narrow portions of the road that pose a serious threat to the safety of motorists.
By HENT
Banner photo by: JOSEPH B. MANZANO