GENERAL SANTOS CITY — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is working on the expansion of its street lighting project on a major road network leading to the city’s main industrial zone.
Engineer Rey Francisco, head of the DPWH city engineering district, said Thursday they have requested additional funding from their central office for the installation of street lights along the 19.6-km. city circumferential road.
He said the proposed project will cover the road network’s northern and western sections, starting from Barangay Katangawan to the city fish port complex in Barangay Tambler.
The official said the move was based on a request submitted by the local government, through a resolution passed by the city council last year.
“There are portions of the circumferential road that are really dark at night due to lack of street lights,” he said in a radio interview.
The PHP1.135-billion road network, which fully-opened in early 2016, starts at the diversion road along the Digos-Makar highway in Katangawan and stretches to Sinawal road on the General Santos-Isulan highway in Barangay Apopong.
It goes to the western part of the city through the diversion road in barangays Apopong and Sinawal to the city airport road in Barangay Fatima.
Another diversion road was constructed from the city airport to the fishport complex in Tambler.
Francisco said they are still waiting for the allocation of appropriate funds for the project, which is targeted to start by next year.
Aside from street lights, he said they are also planning to install traffic lights in major intersections along the circumferential road.
“We already followed it up with our central office and we also asked the office of Senator (Emmanuel) Pacquiao to help lobby for its funding,” he said.
Early this year, the city government and DPWH completed the upgrading of street lights along the Philippine-American Ave. going to the international city airport in Barangay Fatima.
The project, which involved the installation of light posts, transformers and energy-efficient light-emitting diode or LED lamps, was part of the PHP90 million city street lighting project. (PNA)
