Bacolod mayor questions DPWH roadworks in the city

Bacolod City Mayor Albee Benitez on Wednesday questioned some of the road repair being conducted by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the city, saying the roads under construction were still in good condition.

According to a report by GMA Regional TV One Western Visayas’ Adrian Prietos on “24 Oras,” Benitez said the drainage activities and repairs along Araneta-Singcang St., Lopez Jaena, Rizal, BS Aquino Drive, 13th Street, La Salle Avenue, and Gatuslad were causing heavy traffic.

“Ang mga binubutasan parang maayos pa naman. May sulat ako sa kanila. I have a letter to them. Let’s see what they have to say. Dapat may ibang equipment, ang isang equipment bumubuhos para mas madali,” he said.

(They were drilling on roads that are still in good condition. I wrote to them. Let’s see what they have to say. They should have other equipment to speed up the process.)

“Pinag-aaralan ngayon ang pagpasok at dismissal ng universities at colleges kasi nagbi-build up ang traffic every time na pumapasok at uwian. One of the proposals was to open some other gates during that time para mas mabilis na makalabas ang mga sasakyan,” Benitez added.

(We’re now studying the schedule of universities and colleges because the traffic always builds up during rush hour. One of the proposals was to open some other gates during that time to ensure vehicles can move freely.)

The DPWH said the roads needed rehabilitation to meet standards.

“Meron kaming standard na thickness. So, despite na okay pa siya, makikita mo na okay pa pero tourism road siya at under DPWH, meron kaming minimum na thickness na 0.25. and this existing rule has been there for 30 to 40 years. Affected din siya sa widening at drainage improvement natin ngayon,” said DPWH-Bacolod Engineering District spokesperson Helen Esperancilla.

(We have a standard thickness. The roads may look like they were in good condition but under the DPWH guidelines, their thickness should be 0.25. This has been an existing rule for 30 to 40 years. This is affected by the widening and drainage improvement.)

“Grabe ang traffic but then kung walang traffic, walang inaayos, wala ding improvement. So part ito ng feasibility study on how to improve Bacolod City and how to treat flooding,” he said.

(The traffic is heavy but if there's no repair, it means no improvement. This is a part of our feasibility study on how to improve Bacolod City and how to treat flooding.)

Meanwhile, Benitez said the city government is eyeing to check the DPWH’s contracts to ensure their construction works are aligned with their timeline. — Sundy Locus/BM, GMA Integrated News