Traders: Don’t delay flyover construction

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Streamers bearing “Hoy! Bilisan ang (Hasten) construction! Business affected badly!” can now be seen hanging in front of establishments affected by road widening works and the construction of a flyover along Jose Abad Santos Avenue here.

The Association of Jose Abad Santos Avenue Business Owners reiterated on Thursday their call for the fast-tracking of the road works that would bring back to normal their business activities.

The traders recently cried foul over dwindling sales due to the delayed road construction which started before Holy Week this year.

The road works are under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) First District Engineering Office while the flyover is within the jurisdiction of the President’s Bridge Program of the Project Management Office (PMO).

“If they do not finish these works soon, we would have to close down or move elsewhere. We have lost not only our customers that resulted to very low sales and patronage, but we are severely affected by dust, mud, lack of parking spaces and heavy traffic. People and motorists simply skip us,” a representative of the association told Sun.Star Pampanga.

Jose Datu, First District Engineering Office head, earlier estimated the road works to be finished by June this year.

“How could that be when it is end of June already? This is getting to be annoying,” the association leader said.

DPWH regional director Antonio Molano Jr., in a separate statement to Sun.Star Pampanga, said workers will try to complete the project by mid-August this year though in the contract, he said, completion of the project is set by October 2012. (Jovi T. De Leon)