The House of Representatives has transmitted to the Office of the President for approval the bill that will make Kennon Road an all-weather road.
House Bill 6491, which seeks for the full rehabilitation of Kennon Road to make it an all-weather road, has been ratified and is expected to be signed by President Rodrigo Duterte.
Baguio Rep. Mark Go, who authored the bill, said once signed, the bill will pave the way for the permanent rehabilitation of Kennon Road instead of implementing palliative solutions, which cost the government millions every year when the road needs to be closed due to erosions and landslides during heavy rains or typhoons.
He said the Department of Public Works and Highways is currently working on the conduct of a technical study by the Asian Development Bank to determine the erosion and landslide-prone areas and see if these could still be fixed, otherwise find possible substitutes for the problematic areas within the vicinity.
“We hope the technical study will be ready by the end of this year or first quarter of 2022, because we can only have an estimate how much it would cost after the completion of the study,” Go told reporters on Dec. 10.
He said the DPWH is also studying the possibility of doing the rehabilitation works through public-private partnership scheme which will save the government of resources but which may also entail collection of toll fees.
An improved and rehabilitated road will benefit residents along its entire stretch from Rosario, La Union and Camp 1 to 8. It will also save commuters travel time and fuel cost, and assure safe and convenient travel.
Go said there is a plan to install markers and show-windows for Baguio City and Benguet in every camp traversed by the road to restore the road’s historical significance. – Hanna C. Lacsamana
