UNDER CONSTRUCTION. A portion of the Laoag-San Nicolas bypass road passes through vast rice fields in Barangay San Guillermo, San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte in this undated photo. Soon, an additional bypass bridge will rise near the Laoag Gilbert Bridge to solve traffic congestion in the Nangalisan area. (Photo by Leilanie Adriano)
LAOAG CITY – Another big-ticket bypass bridge is expected to rise in Ilocos Norte to finally solve traffic congestion in this city’s Nangalisan area, allowing easier access to the central business district in San Nicolas town.
According to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the third bypass bridge will be located east of the existing Gilbert Bridge to complement the ongoing construction of the 12.08-km. San Nicolas-Laoag bypass road with a total budget of PHP2.42 billion.
“The master plan (of the third bypass bridge) has been approved. This is not too far from the Gilbert bridge,” Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc said Thursday.
In an earlier interview, district engineer Mathias Malenab said, "The additional bridge connecting Laoag and San Nicolas will have an alternative road going to the San Nicolas commercial area."
Based on preliminary estimates, the new bridge has an estimated cost of PHP1 billion and construction will start this year.
In a feasibility study conducted earlier by the DPWH, the third bypass bridge would bring in progress, particularly in the eastern part of Ilocos Norte as people would no longer pass through the congested Laoag downtown.
Meanwhile, additional bypass roads are being constructed in the towns of Bangui and Dingras.
The DPWH said the Bangui bypass road measures more than 2 km. and includes a four-lane concrete pavement with drainage, slope protection, shoulder pavement markings, and safety facilities.
It will also have a four-lane 46.3-lineal-meter long bridge to address critical bottlenecks in urban areas.
The almost 50-percent completed Dingras diversion road, meanwhile, is also expected to reduce travel time from Barangay Bungcag to Barangay Guerrero from 20-30 minutes to 10-15 minutes.
All of these form part of the “Build, Build, Build” program of the Duterte administration, which President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. promised to continue to help spur economic development outside Metro Manila. (PNA)
