ILOILO City – To ensure faster and more convenient travel around the island province, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Guimaras District Engineering Office is improving national and local roads.
DPWH 6 director Nerie D. Bueno, citing the report of District Engineer Rhodora B. Nuñal, said the improved and widened roads benefit local communities as well as provide tourists with access to magnificent tourist destinations in the island, thus enhancing the province’s economy and tourism. This will also eventually provide residents with more opportunities to showcase their products.
“The widened roads would accommodate a huge volume of vehicular traffic, ensuring better mobility for motorists and the general public,” Bueno said.
She said the road widening is significantly beneficial to students, especially now that the “in-face” mode of classes is back and traffic congestion is expected.
Meanwhile, Nuñal said the improved road is also beneficial to the government as well as to the development of agriculture and livelihoods.
“Basic government services such as health, education, social, peace and order, relief assistance, and wellness programs can be easily delivered, making the government closer to the people,” Nuñal said.
She added: “Delivery of agricultural products from farms to the market will be easier and less costly, and travel time will be reduced,”
Widening activities are being carried out along specific locations of Guimaras Circumferential Road and Guimaras Central Road, as well as the improvement of local roads connecting local communities.
The DPWH is currently working on the P54-million widening of the Guimaras Central Road, specifically along San Miguel-Constancia-Cabano-Gcawayan Road in San Lorenzo town.
The 1.05-kilometer project includes the construction of a 3.35-meter Portland Concrete Cement Pavement with shoulders on both sides of the existing 2-lane road. It also includes the provision of pipe culverts with headwalls, the construction of concrete slope protection along the elevated road section, and the installation of metal guard rails, warning signs, and thermoplastic pavement markings for the safety of motorists and pedestrians.
DPWH is also implementing the widening of Guimaras Circumferential Road, specifically in the town of Nueva Valencia. The P39.6-million project involves the widening of a 789-lineal-meter road portion with concrete curb and gutter and paved shoulders, including the construction of a concrete headwall, drainage structures, and slope protection in specific areas. The existing concrete road was also overlaid with emulsified asphalt for smoother travel.
Also, DPWH is concreting a 759-lineal-meter road for P13.5 million, connecting the barangays of Calaya and San Antonio in Nueva Valencia and connecting to the Guimaras Circumferential Road.(PIA-6)/PN
