Dianne Jayne Lumines

Mar 18, 20212 min read

Kalinga inaugurates second pedestrian overpass

Tabuk City, Kalinga─ With its completion, provincial officials and key agencies led the inauguration and blessing of the new built pedestrian overpass in Barangay Bulanao on March 17. This is the second pedestrian walkway built along the national road traversing a commercial area in this city.

Said overpass was funded under the special fund of Motor Vehicles User’s Charge (MVUC) released in 2017 and implemented by Department of Public Works and Highways-Lower Kalinga District Engineering Office (DPWH-LKDEO).

The PhP31. 6 million project cost covers the 2 units of pedestrian overpass along the national road, Bulanao section.

Once the barriers are established mid-road, the walk-way would be the only safe passage for the public to cross, thus the establishment of the two pedestrian overpasses would provide a safe walkway for pedestrians crossing the 10-lane designed national road from the traffic.

DPWH-LKDEO District Engineer Ruby Uyam relates that the conceptualization of the two overpass projects along with the 10-lane road is done after the road safety audit by the Bureau of Quality and Safety-Central Office.

The project started in January 2018 and the first overpass was completed in August 2018, but was only inaugurated last July 2019.

She said that the target completion of the second overpass was December 2020 but construction was delayed due to road right of way issues brought about its construction.

“It was (delayed) because of road right of way problems that we have encountered during the implementation of the project, so we have to conduct various coordination meetings with the LGUs and the end users. After a few consultation meetings we resumed with the construction,” she explained.

Uyam remarked that the overpass is meant to ease traffic by supporting walking as a safer and more convenient option to move around the busy roads.

“This is a high impact project of DPWH because this will provide walk way of pedestrians to refrain them from crossing the existing 10 lane road, and of course this is a road safety project that would prevent vehicle congestion and possible accident cause by illegal crossing of pedestrian across the road,” she said.

Said inauguration and blessing was attended by Father Joe Pic-it who blessed the overpass, Regie Wacas, Representative of Congressman Allen Jesse Mangaoang, Governor Ferdinand Tubban, and heads and personnel of DPWH.