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BAGUIO CITY: Public Works and Highways Secretary
Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. finally opened the newly constructed
P172-million flyover at the rotunda of the Baguio General Hospital
on Friday and assured the public that the bridge has been tested and
is stable.
Ebdane brushed off the fears of
some quarters regarding the stability of the flyover in Baguio,
saying that experts and top government engineers have already
inspected the flyover and reported that it is in order.
Ebdane told reporters he was
personally assigned by President Gloria Arroyo to inaugurate the
controversial flyover to avoid any more delays. The President is
currently in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum.
The Public Works secretary
underscored that the flyover was indeed a priority project, saying
it will help in easing traffic especially when there is a large
volume of vehicles coming from Kennon Road, Marcos Highway, Kisad
Road and Gov. Pack Road.
“With the flyover, there will
be less time at the intersection,” he said, as he acknowledged
that traffic woes are one of the major concerns in the city.
Baguio Rep. Mauricio Domogan, for
his part, thanked the DPWH and the contractor for having completed
the project, and the President for having reconsidered an earlier
directive diverting remaining funds for the flyover to other
projects.
It will be recalled that the
President opted to prioritize a proposal for a cable car system in
Tinglayan, Kalinga, as well as farm-to-market roads in Kapangan,
Benguet.
While the planned realignment of
funding did not push through, officials said that DPWH and its
partner agencies were tasked to look into the concerns of Tinglayan
and Kapangan.
The flyover construction started
in 2004 with an initial funding of P80 million that was sourced out
from the savings of the rehabilitation and improvement of the Marcos
Highway.
--Harley F. Palangchao
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