P12.4B Kennon Road rehabilitation among DPWH priority projects

Baguio City, Philippines – The full rehabilitation of Kennon Road was identified among the public-private partnership (PPP) projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Kennon Road is an important route as it is the shortest way from Rosario, La Union to Baguio City and is one of the major access roads leading to the province of Benguet.

After the road was destroyed by the 1990 killer quake, the road has been under several rehabilitation by phase.

The road was tagged as one among the most dangerous roads in the country due to frequent landslides.

On December 10, 2021, former President Rodrigo Duterte signed the full rehabilitation and maintenance of Kennon Road into law.

Republic Act No. 11604 mandates DPWH to undertake the road maintenance to ensure that it remains safe and serviceable.

Improvement, Operation and Maintenance of Kennon Road

According to the department, P12.45 billion will be allotted for the improvement, rehabilitation or reconstruction.

The project, DPWH said, would prevent road slope disasters such as soil collapse, rock fall, road slip, landslide, and river erosion from occurring along the highway.

After the full rehabilitation, it is expected that the travel time from Rosario to Baguio City will be reduced from 2 hours to only 50 minutes.

From a 5-hour travel time, Manila to Baguio City will soon only take 3 hours and a half via NLEX-SCTEX-TPLEX and Kennon Road.

The project is likewise seen to contribute to the growth of the region’s tourism industry and related business activities.

Benguet Congressman grateful to President Marcos Jr.

Meanwhile, Benguet Representative Eric Yap expressed gratitude to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for honoring the promises he made during his campaign, including the road improvement.

“We thank our President Bongbong Marcos for heeding our call to prioritize Benguet, particularly the rehabilitation of Kennon Road. Hindi tayo binobola noong sinabi niya noong kampanya na he will help our province. This upcoming project will spur growth, it will boost our tourism activities in Benguet, it will provide jobs, it will create economic opportunities, more than the safe passage of people traversing the Kennon Road. Maraming salamat Mahal na Pangulo,” Yap said in a statement.

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