DPWH's multi-year road project in Leyte is 41% complete

The Department of Public and Highways (DPWH) announced that the construction of an access road connecting the towns of Mahaplag and Hilongos in the Province of Leyte is near its halfway mark.

DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said that the aforementioned road project is 40.55 percent complete and “is expected to contribute in greater socio-economic interventions by helping eradicate conflict brought by communist rebel groups in the area.”

Citing a report from DPWH Region 8 Director Edgar Tabacon, the public works secretary said that the P4.24-billion project’s scope of works include the opening and concreting of a 41.7-kilometer road, construction of permanent bridge, slope protection structures, and drainage.

Designed as a multi-year project, the project has already received a total funding of P1.93-billion since 2017 under the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

 The said road begins at Barangay San Isidro in Mahaplag along the Daang Maharlika and ends in Barangay San Roque in Hilongos, along the Ormoc-Baybay-Southern Leyte Road, serving as a shorter alternate route for motorists travelling to and from the two towns.

 “Once completed, the usual travel time of four hours from Tacloban City to Maasin City, Leyte will be reduced by one hour, therefore hastening delivery of basic services in and out of the towns,” Bonoan noted.

 Construction of the remaining 20.69 kilometers and other additional works for the Mahaplag-Hilongos Road Project will be funded in 2023 onwards.

Photos from Department of Public Works and Highways

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