4-km bypass road seen to speed up travel in Bukidnon

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Monday said the four-kilometer (km) bypass road project is seen to provide overall travel improvement for locals and tourists in the municipalities of Damulog and Kadingilan, Bukidnon.

DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said that the newly completed bypass road has solved the transportation woes in the rural and secluded areas of Barangay Maican in Damulog and Barangay Balaoro in Kadingilan, Bukidnon.

"Students and employees who travel daily to school and work all the way to the neighboring towns now have easier access to convenient modes of transportation with the completion of the bypass roads, thus improving education and employment opportunities for locals," Bonoan said.

Bonoan said the improved road also provides a safer, cheaper, and faster way for farmers to deliver locally-grown agricultural goods such as corn, pineapple, and cacao markets and distribution centers.

Implemented under two packages, an initial budget of P65.5 million was released in 2022 for the construction of Package 1 which covers road opening and construction of its first 1.37-kilometer segment, including 899 meters of reinforced concrete-lined canal with 375 meters of slope protection.

Meanwhile, the second and final package was completed in 2023 in the amount of P96.5 million.

It involved the construction of the remaining 2.6-km, 3.35-meter wide concrete pavement, with 2.4 km of reinforced concrete lined canal and 290-lineal meters of concrete that functions as slope protection.