THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Cordillera clarified that for Kennon Road to be considered an all-weather road, a budget of P38 billion is needed, not P3.7 billion as earlier stated.
Engineer Tiburcio Canlas, regional director of DPWH Cordillera Administrative Region, explained that among the proposals for Kennon Road are slope protection interventions which are done in some portions of the road and other highways in the Cordillera to ensure stability of the road terrain.
“Out of the 25 critical sections that have been reassesed, 4 sections were funded for 2018-2019, the remaining 21 critical section were categorized as priority 1 and priority 2 with priority 1 having 14 sections with 5 areas budgeted for P507 million for year 2020 while priority 2 having 7 sections will be for future funding. The long term plan for Kennon Road would amount to P38 billion,” Canlas explained.
Some 25 critical sections were identified along Kennon Road with nine sections initially identified by the DPWH Bureau of Construction and re-assessed by DPWH regional office.
“These slope protection measures do not necessarily make Kennon Road into an all-weather road but would make the road safer for motorists, both residents and non-residents passing the historic road,” Canlas added.
At least five sections of the first priority areas need bigger intervention such as building of rock sheds to address the perceived rock mass which tends to erode, while critical areas identified is in need of rock netting with slope trimming, retaining walls, crib walls, and soil nailing.
Aside from the immediate slope protection methods for Kennon Road, another future proposal for the road is the building of a series of tunnels and bridges with a length of more than 19 kilometers.