DPWH Working Double Time to Finish Boracay Circumferential Road

Last August, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar said that the rehabilitation of the Boracay Circumferential Road (BCR) will be completed on schedule this October 2018. Now, Villar said in a statement that the agency is working double time to make the BCR accessible in time for the island's soft opening this month.

The reason for working double time is that the DPWH crew have been "slowed down by incessant rain," according to Villar. The DPWH Secretary explained that the crew had to endure 47 days of rainy weather in Boracay since rehabilitation works started 82 days ago. To help speed up the rehab project, additional manpower from the 15 District Engineering Offices and Regional Office of the DPWH in Western Visayas had been deployed in the island. DPWH Assistant Regional Director Jose Al Fruto said that a total of 1.13-km of one-lane road has been paved. Moreover, 2.91 km of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) drainage pipes are already installed along the existing 4.1-kilometer Boracay Circumferential Road.

The missing gap of BCR in Barangay Balabag is also being fast-tracked for completion. According to the DPWH, 82 percent of the missing gap is already completed, with 265.5 linear meters of paved road, 100 linear meters of sidewalk (both sides) with paving blocks and two lines of drainage (pipe culverts) installed.