DON CARLOS — A pedestrian stairway under construction by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bukidnon 2nd District Engineering Office is expected to be completed before the end of November, providing a temporary but much-needed access route for residents and commuters affected by the landslide that struck the Palacapao section of the Bukidnon–Davao national highway last month

The stairway will serve as a footpath for travelers from Sitio Kipolot, Barangay Palacapao, and nearby upland communities, including passengers of the lone operating bus line, Rural Transit Mindanao Inc. (RTMI), plying the Cagayan de Oro–Davao route.

The landslide, which occurred late evening of October 18 along the six-lane “Overview” zigzag highway, Quezon town, swept away sections of the road and claimed the lives of a vegetable vendor couple whose tricab (bao-bao) plunged down the slope.

Their bodies were found days later in an advanced state of decomposition.

DPWH engineers said the stairway project is being fast-tracked to ease daily mobility disruptions.

The structure will include steel railings and solar-powered lighting to improve safety for those crossing the affected area after dark.

“This is an immediate solution to allow people to safely move up and down the affected section while the long-term detour road plan is being prepared,” a DPWH official said.

Residents had attempted to create their own temporary passage through “bayanihan” efforts, laying limestone and rocks to allow motorcycles and light vehicles to pass.

However, the terrain proved too steep and unstable. The surface shifted underweight, turning hazardous during rainfall and nearly impassable at night.

Quezon Mayor Pablo Lorenzo III later ordered the improvised route closed, acknowledging the community’s need for access but stressing that only DPWH has the authority and technical expertise to establish a safe detour.

Lorenzo urged the DPWH to accelerate the development of the planned long-term detour road, which is awaiting geohazard assessment results and slope stabilization designs.

For now, the stairway, once completed, is expected to restore a measure of normalcy to daily travel for students, workers, farmers, and intercity commuters, even as government agencies continue to study engineering solutions for the damaged highway segment. (MEL N. VELEZ/Bukidnon Dispatch)