LUCENA CITY – Heavy vehicles from Bicol and Metro Manila passing along the Maharlika Highway have been advised by the Department of Public Works and Highways to make a detour in Laguna province due to the ongoing repair of the Anuang bridge in Sariaya, Quezon.

Celestial Flancia, chief of DPWH-Quezon 2nd engineering district, said the bridge had a crack in the middle section after a big truck passed early dawn Friday.

“We’re conducting a 24-hour repair. Maybe until Tuesday we can make the bridge passable at least for light vehicles,” Flancia said over the phone Sunday.

She advised drivers of heavy vehicles and passenger buses from Bicol and Metro Manila to temporarily take the Lucban, Quezon-Pagsanjan, Laguna road to avoid unnecessary delay in their travel.

She said Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. had ordered local highways workers to use all government resources to make the damaged bridge passable to all kinds of vehicle as soon as possible.

Flancia estimated it would take between 15 to 20 days to repair the bridge.

Motorists from Metro Manila who did not know the bridge was damaged were ordered to take the private road inside the First Ridge quarry plant in Barangay Sampaloc II along the Maharlika Highway and exit at the village of Tumabaga Uno in the southern part of Sariaya.

Lucena City police manning checkpoints along the Maharlika Highway have been advising drivers of heavy vehicles from Bicol to make a detour towards Lucban town.

The heavy volume of vehicles passing through Sariaya has caused a kilometer-long traffic jam and several hours of delay that irritates motorists.

New bypass road

On May 28, the DPWH unveiled an ambitious bypass road project in Candelaria town that was expected to ease the flow of traffic along the Pan-Philippine Highway (PPH) also known as the Maharlika Highway.

Bonifacio Seguit, regional director of DPWH-Calabarzon (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon), briefed President Macapagal-Arroyo during her visit here on the proposed P422-million Candelaria town bypass road project.

The proposed 7.5-kilometer two-lane concrete road has five connecting bridges and will be parallel to the PPH.

Seguit said that once completed, the new road would decongest traffic along the Maharlika Highway by reducing the volume of passing vehicles, which could enhance tourism and promote economic development in Quezon province.

“It will also provide a faster, safer and shorter travel time from Manila to Bicol region,” said the DPWH official.

The planned new road will traverse agricultural lands and coconut plantations and will cross the Philippine National Railways track in the village of Mangilag Sur.

Seguit said the project had been allocated an initial fund of P100 million for the current year.

Seguit also briefed the President on the progress of the Quezon ecotourism road project which is divided into three phases: the 7.44-km Guisguis-Talaan section with three concrete bridges costing P335 million; the 10.2-km Guisguis-Bantilan section (two bridges), P305 milion; and the 11.43-km Talaan-Lucena City Diversion road section, P340 million.

The 29.7-km road project starts from Barangay Bantilan in Sariaya and will pass through several coastal villages and end at the Lucena City diversion road going to Bicol region.