BONTOC, Mtn. Province – Is it a shot at the stars or can it be feasible?
The Mountain Province First District Engineering Office (MPFDEO) has designed the ambitious construction of a by-pass road from Tikitik to Lanao to Lagangeo complete with lighting.
This multimillion project involves a 2.8 kilometers road length that would lead to the development of a road from that section in Tikitik where the “leaning tower” stands to crossover the Chico River in a bridge to Kadchog then another bridge to the river control in Lanao.
The road will start in Kadchog and Lanao, then passes underneath the Chico Karayan bridge towards Lagangeo where it would connect to the Bontoc-Tinglayan Road.
Allegedly, the by-pass road will be connected to the existing bridge to the Circle road, then another connection up to the Motorpool of the MPFDEO, and in Langangeo through the Abe Fagyan make shift road to connect the road to the Bontoc-Tinglayan national road.
In what might yet be a tourism attraction called the Chico River lovers’ lane or similar to a bay walk, the by-pass road would be requiring the installation of electric posts throughout the length of the road.
Technical data sourced from the MPFDEO indicate that the road width would be 6.7 meters, or two lanes.
The proposed road will serve as a diversion road to escape the now becoming busy traffic at the center of the business district of the town. The commuters to and from the Bontoc-Baguio national roads, Bontoc –kalinga road, and the Bontoc-Banaue road may take the by-pass road.
Funding requirements indicated in the proposal is P175 Million for 2019 that would cover infrastructure and settlement of roads-right-of-way (RROWS), with P140 million and P35 million, respectively.
In 2020, another P150 million is earmarked to complete the bridges and the RROWs in Tikitik, Chico River bridge, and Lagangeo.
The proposed project is seen to lead to the increase of prices of real properties along the proposed road in Lanao and Kadchog. The rice fields along or near the proposed road are feared to be turned into residential areas especially the Kadchog rice terraces.
Feedbacks regarding the proposed projects may be brought to the MPFDEO for the guidance of the implementing agency.
District Engineer Alex Castaneda is very optimistic that his pet project will be approved and would take off smoothly.
“It’s a good legacy that I will leave behind before I depart from the service”, he said.**Roger Sacyaten
