DPWH to convert Southern Leyte farm-to-market road to national highway

MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Nov. 24 (PNA) -– The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will convert a farm-to-market road in San Ricardo, Southern Leyte into a national highway, as part of ongoing construction of Liloa-an-San Ricardo Circumferential Road.

With the inclusion of the road section built by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in the proposed alternative highway, there’s a need for the project to upgrade, according to DPWH Southern Leyte District Engineer Ma. Margarita C. Junia.

“Since it’s already impossible for DAR to upgrade the road, we will assume the task of redesigning the project. The road conversion requires widening of existing four-meter road to 10 meters. We will increase its thickness from six inches to nine inches,” Junia said.

The DAR has been implementing the 3.7-kilometer farm-to-market road project linking Pinut-an and Kinachawa villages under the Agrarian Reform Infrastructure Support Project. The PHP25 million road is 88 percent complete, according to DAR’s latest report.

In a letter to DPWH, the DAR explained that it is impossible to consider proposals for modification considering the “time, financial, and contract status constraints.”

“While we understand the need to upgrade the standard to national road following the improvement of Liloan-San Ricardo Circumferential Road, it is no longer within the scope of the project and beyond the mandate of our office,” the DAR stated.

The infrastructure agency is currently implementing a P40-million opening of the alternative road. Civil works include roadway excavation of hard rocks, installation of drainage system, and slope protection works.

About PHP200 million is needed to finance the opening activities of an alternative Liloan-San Ricardo Road. The project is designed to cut travel time and skip road sections vulnerable to landslides and accidents.

The remaining funding requirement is expected for disbursement in the next two years – PHP100 million in 2017 and PHP72 million in 2018.

The construction of the circumferential road will reduce the distance from Liloan port to another exit point to Mindanao in San Ricardo town from more than 40 kilometers to only 20 kilometers.

The project will convert an existing provincial road into a primary highway, unlocking economic activities in rural communities of two towns in the southernmost part of the province.

Through the new road network, motorists can reach San Ricardo town from Liloan town without traversing the landslide-prone and accident-prone road sections in San Francisco and Pintuyan towns.(PNA)

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