A 2.7-km. alternate road seen to ease traffic congestion along Airport Avenue in this city has been allocated PHP30-million funding from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
According to the DPWH on Thursday, the alternate road will complement the ongoing construction of the 12.08-km. San Nicolas-Laoag bypass road and third bypass bridge with a total budget of PHP2.42 billion.
The third bypass bridge will be located east of the existing Gilbert Bridge.
“Construction of the alternate road will start anytime soon and it will be completed within the year,” District Engineer Glenn Miguel of the Ilocos Norte 1st District Engineering Office said in an interview.
Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos confirmed the DPWH’s fund allocation for the alternate road project during his latest visit to the Capitol.
According to Marcos, the proposed project will allow easier access to the central business district especially once a big mall opens in Barangay 51-B Nangalisan.
Traffic congestion in the city has worsened over the years with a steady increase of infrastructure development across the province.
The city government of Laoag is also embarking on several traffic experiments that aims to improve the traffic flow along its major thoroughfares, particularly along the Gilbert Bridge up to Rizal Street, as well as Bacarra Road and the Sirib Mile along Ablan Avenue during weekday rush hours.
A DPWH study showed that the Rudy C. Farinas Bypass Road has not completely solved the traffic congestion at the city’s Nangalisan area – the primary road that leads to San Nicolas.
Motorists observed that what was once “peak hour” traffic along the area is now a whole-day phenomenon.