High-impact road projects to improve inter-provincial travel, domestic trade in Caraga region
By Ian
G. Maculob
BUTUAN
CITY, Mar. 4 -- Commuters will soon enjoy a shorter travel time from
Agusan del Norte to Surigao del Sur and vice-versa upon completion of
multi-billion road projects by 2022.
Construction
works have started since 2016 for the Butuan City – Pianing – Tandag (BPT) Road
and Cabadbaran – Puting Bato – Lanuza (CPL) Road, which includes road
opening and upgrading to paved roads.
The two
road projects have a total budget allocation of PhP14.871 billion, which
includes PhP8.152 billion and PhP6.719 billion for the BPT Road and the CPL
Road, respectively.
With a
total length of 55.82km, the BPT Road will provide interconnectivity between
the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur which
will not only provide a direct inter-provincial connectivity among the three
provinces but also promote development in the agriculture industry and domestic
trade. On the other hand, the CPL Road, which is part of the Mindanao Logistics
Infrastructure Network, stretching from Junction Daang Maharlika (Surigao –
Agusan Road) to Junction Surigao - Davao Coastal Road, Lanuza, Surigao del Sur
for about 73.048km, is expected to promote development in eco-tourism, agriculture
industry and domestic trade.
When
completed, travel time will be reduced by a maximum of one hour and 30
minutes.
Priscila
R. Sonido, regional director of the National Economic and Development Authority
(NEDA) Caraga and chairperson of the Regional Project Monitoring Committee
(RPMC), has pushed anew the commitment of the Department of Public Works and
Highways (DPWH) to ramp up completion of the said projects.
“Let us
inform the public that these projects can be used soon,” she said during the
1st Quarter RPMC Meeting, which was held through a teleconference on March 2,
2021. Dir. Sonido further instructed the RPMC to include the said projects in
its monitoring activities to ensure that delays and other issues will be
addressed quickly.
In the same meeting, the DPWH Caraga reported that physical completion for the BPT Road and CPL Road is at 17.67% and 35.25%, respectively. (NEDA-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)