By Sarwell Meniano/Philippine News Agency
TACLOBAN CITY — The 5th and final segment of the PHP924.55-million Tacloban bypass road will be completed this August, making the four-lane road completely passable after five years of construction.
Sandy Pua, Department of Public Works and Highways regional office construction division chief, said the pace of road opening and concreting is on track as the central government sees the need to decongest traffic in the city’s major highway.
“At present, phase 5 of the Tacloban by-pass road is about 80 percent complete. The road will benefit at least 1,000 motorists a day by reducing travel time along the Maharlika Highway from one hour and 30 minutes to only half an hour,” Pua said in an interview Tuesday.
Besides constructing and concreting the 6.4-kilometer highways, the project also involves paving of shoulders and slope protection works for the safety of motorists.
The 6.4-kilometer bypass road starts at Tigbao village and ends at Caibaan village. The road is seen to improve the accessibility of the road network and increase the development potential of less populated communities.
The city’s Maharlika Highway forms part of the Eastern Nautical Highway, which connects Eastern Visayas to Luzon and Mindanao.
Of the PHP924.553 million cost, PHP126.05 million was set aside for phase 1, PHP184.94 million for phase 2, PHP163.16 million for phase 3, PHP233.28 million for phase 4, and PHP217.1 million for phase 5.
April 2017 was the original completion target but was not realized due to road right of way acquisition issues, prompting the DPWH to adjust the project cost to PHP924.55 million from the original PHP542.48 million.
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