GENERAL SANTOS CITY — The city government is seeking a funding of around PHP105 million from the national government for the installation of street lights in a major road network traversing the area’s industrial zones.
City Mayor Ronnel Rivera said Tuesday the proposed allocation would be utilized for the expansion of the city’s ongoing street lighting project in the 19.6-kilometer city circumferential or diversion road.
He said they submitted a request to Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), through the office of Senator Manny Pacquiao, to include the project as among its priorities in the area.
“We’re hoping that this will be implemented this year,” the mayor said in a radio interview.
Rivera said the project will cover entire stretch of the circumferential road, from the junction of the national highway in Barangay Katangawan to the city airport in Barangay Fatima.
He said it will be implemented in coordination with the DPWH city engineering district and the South Cotabato-II Electric Cooperative (Socoteco II).
Last year, the local government completed the installation of energy-efficient light-emitting diode or LED lamps from the national highway junction of the Philippine-American Avenue to the city airport.
The project was part of the PHP90 million street lighting project supported by DPWH and Socoteco II.
The city government pushed for the lighting of the circumferential road to improve access and prevent accidents in the area.
The PHP1.135-billion road network, which fully-opened in early 2016, traverses barangays that were covered by the city’s industrial zones leading to the city fish port complex.
Rivera said the local government will also continue with the installation of additional street lights in local communities.
He said the project’s technical working group has already identified priority areas within the city’s 26 barangays.
“We will focus on areas that are really dark at night and prone to criminal activities,” he said.
Since 2013, the city government already spent over PHP100 million as counterpart for the street light project.
