Friday, December 20, 2024

DPWH to build temporary lane beside Iligan-Bukidnon road’s collapsed portion

ILIGAN CITY — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has started work on a temporary road beside the collapsed portion of the Iligan-Bukidnon highway in Barangay Besigan, in the hinterlands of Cagayan de Oro City, so it can soon accommodate vehicular traffic

Engr. Maria David, DPWH district engineer for Iligan City, said the temporary lane that they will build is designed to handle only light vehicles.

On May 5, 2023, morning, DPWH personnel lifted the 10-wheeler truck that fell into the pit created when the road collapsed on April 30.

The truck was fully loaded with falcata logs.

David said they are still awaiting the budget to do full-blown repair work on the damaged road, adding that for 2023, the Iligan City engineering district only had P13 million for road maintenance.

The Iligan-Bukidnon road had been a convenient route for travelers from Lanao del Norte and the Zamboanga Peninsula toward Bukidnon and on to Davao, bypassing the coastal highway leading to Cagayan de Oro City.

However, it is often affected by landslides and road slips. (Richel V. Umel/Inquirer.net)

Iligan-Bukidnon Road close to traffic due collapse

ILIGAN CITY — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) temporarily closed starting May 1, 2023, the national highway that snakes through the mountains between Iligan City and Bukidnon province

Engineer Maria Badelles David of DPWH’s Iligan City engineering district said a section of the road in Barangay Besigan, Cagayan de Oro City collapsed when a 10-wheeler truck loaded with falcata logs passed through it on May 1, morning.

No one was reported hurt during the incident.

David said they were still coordinating the use of a crane to lift the truck.

David further said that the road would be closed until repair works are done as they could not build a detour because one side is a cliff while the other is a spring.

David said a road maintenance team would proceed to the site to conduct an inspection and road safety mitigating measures.

The Iligan-Bukidnon road is prone to landslides and road slips and the DPWH engineering district in Iligan City is not yet fully furnished with heavy equipment so it could quickly respond to such situations, David said. (Richel Umel/Inquirer.net)