BORACAY – Road rehabilitation work continued when this island resort reopened to tourists six months after it was ordered closed for a much-needed rehabilitation.
Amid criticism, the Department of Public Works and Highways insisted that the road infrastructure works were “not delayed.”
“It is a big accomplishment to finish a 4.1-kilometer road with complete drainage in just six months even on a rainy season,” Secretary Mark Villar said.
The complete rehabilitation of the 4.1-km main road, particularly from the Cagban Port to the Elizalde property, is expected by the first week of December.
“It is almost 80-percent done,” Villar said.
Critics said the purported island-wide rehabilitation, which supposedly included improving the roads, focused too much on the white-sand beaches.
Various challenges confronted Public Works department workers over the past six months, said Villar.
The demolition of structures along the 12-meter road setback and the transfer of existing pipes of utility companies proved difficult amid the rainy season, he stressed.
Villar assured that the remaining tasks now include the “finishing touches,” like the concreting of roads and construction of sidewalks.
The high-density polyethylene pipes for the drainage system have all been installed, the Public Works secretary said. Each pipe is 6 meters long and has a diameter of 1.2 meters.
Aside from rehabilitating the 4.1-km main road, the Public Works department said it has also finished the construction of the new Bulabog road, which is part of the circumferential road.
The Bulabog road, which was opened to the public on Oct. 15, serves as an alternate route toward Mt. Luho and Barangay Yapak.
Meanwhile Villar said the next phase of the road rehabilitation will start in the first quarter of 2019.
The Public Works department will allot around P400 million to P500 million for the next phase, which will include road rehabilitation and improvement of the main road from Elizalde to CityMall, and the completion of the circumferential road, he said. (PNA)
