Samar Pacific Coastal Road now partially open to motorists

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced that the major component of the Samar Pacific Coastal Road project in Eastern Visayas has been partially opened to the public.

In a statement, the department shared that DPWH Undersecretary Emil Sadain and Northern Samar Governor Edwin Marino Ongchuan led the opening of the 161-meter Simora Bridge and the first eight-kilometer two-lane, two-way road from Junction Simora along Simora-Palapag Road in Northern Samar. 

In his report to DPWH Acting Secretary Roger Mercado, Sadain said that the opening of the aforementioned portions will provide better access to around 80 percent of the 5,538 population in the area whose livelihood majority lies in coconut and rice farming.

“After four years of challenging construction, the partial opening of the Samar Pacific Coastal Road is a huge step to the realization of vision to provide comfortable and improved interconnectivity that will support sustainable agricultural development, and contribute to food self-sufficiency program and in sustaining peace and development efforts in Northern Samar,” Sadain was quoted as saying.

The Samar Pacific Coastal Road project is one of the 119 infrastructure flagship projects under the Build Build Build Program. 

A report back in 2018 showed that the project was supposed to be completed as early as March 2020. The DPWH attributed the delay of the project’s eyed full completion due to inclement weather conditions in the region as well as the challenges caused by the pandemic.

The department noted that since May 2018, around 29 typhoons slowed down the development of the project (which was under contractor Ilsung Construction Co., Ltd. of Korea in partnership with Pacific Concrete Products).

Further, the DPWH expressed its commitment to fully complete the 11.60-kilometer new two-lane road as the construction of remaining three-kilometer concrete road with two small bridges are on-going with the 31-meter Jangtud Bridge 1 at 66 percent and 69-meter Jangtud Bridge 2 at 40 percent. 

The P1.126-billion coastal road project is set to link the “Pacific Towns” in Northern Samar starts at the Simora Junction, and traverses to the coastal villages of Laoang, Catubig, and Palapag.

“This road complements and eventually establishes the Samar Island circumferential road that is seen to bring much-needed community development in these small towns and overall economic progress in the province,” the public works undersecretary shared.

Photos from Department of Public Works and Highways

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