Mark Villar bares key infrastructure accomplishments in Ilocos Region

By: Jan V. Escosio - 3 years ago

Bantay San Ildefonso road | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Five years into his post, former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark A. Villar has much to show for and these impressive numbers can readily tell his story.

One of the significant beneficiary regions of the Build Build Build Program is the Ilocos region, he noted.

“Patuloy naming susuportahan ang mga pangunahing imprastraktura sa Ilocos. Kami po ay nananatiling tapat sa aming pangako na mapaginhawa ang buhay ng ating mga kababayan sa pamamagitan ng mga proyektong ito”, Villar said in a statement Wednesday.

To date, DPWH has already completed a total of 26,494 kilometers of roads and 5,555 bridges. Infrastructure projects in the Ilocos Region in the span of five years could help ease the lives of the locals and spur development in the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan.

Daang Katutubo road | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Among these projects are the following:

The 7.3-kilometer Candon City Bypass Road traverses the eastern side of the city to decongest the Manila North Road and improve the connectivity of Manila to Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, and Abra. Its completion reduced the travel time from Sta. Lucia in Ilocos Sur to Santiago from 40 minutes to only 20 minutes.
Laoag City Bypass Road, a 7.9-kilometer starts at Barangay Buttong in Laoag City and ends in Barangay Pasiocan in Ilocos Norte. It includes the construction of an 805- meter Laoag bridge and a 129-meter Casili bridge. When completed, travel time from Laoag to Ilocos Norte will be reduced from 45 minutes to only 10 minutes.
The 7.17-kilometer Urdaneta City Bypass Road serves as an alternate route to the existing Manila North Road, Urdaneta-Dagupan Road, Urdaneta-Manaoag Road, and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La-Union Expressway. Now, travel time from Villasis to Binalonan has been reduced from one hour to only 30 minutes.
Tarlac Pangasinan La Union Expressway (TPLEX) is a four-lane expressway. The 88.5km expressway will start from the southern terminal in Tarlac City and end at the northern terminal at Rosario in La Union.
Bantay-San Ildefonso Bypass Road is a 10.97-kilometer starts at the junction of the Manila North Road from Barangay Taleb in the municipality of Bantay through the barangays of Tay-ac, Bongro, Binongan, Sto. Domingo, Arnap, Belen, Bungro and Poblacion East at San Ildefonso.
Daang Kalikasan Road is a 19.89-kilometer that will reduce the travel time from Mangatarem in Pangasinan to Sta. Cruz in Zambales from two hours and 30 minutes to only one hour.
The 27.55-kilometer Daang Katutubo Road serves as an access road to the Mapita Tribal Community and the view deck in Nayong Aguilar.
Lingayen Bypass Road starts at the intersection of Pangasinan-Zambales Road and Lingayen Labrador Diversion Road and traverses along Lingayen proper to Barangay Poblacion in Binmaley. The 6.2-kilometer project is expected to benefit 18,492 motorists every day.
The 65.580-kilometer Apayao-Ilocos Norte Road connects the towns of Conner, Kabugao, and Calanasan in Apayao to the municipality of Solsona and city of Laoag in Ilocos Norte.

Urdaneta City bypass road | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

“Masaya po akong makita na gumiginhawa ang buhay ng ating mga kababayang Ilocano, nakakataba ng puso na makita ang ganda ng Ilocos region. Akin pong ipagpapatuloy ang magandang nasimulan ng Build Build Build Program upang makapagbigay ng kabuhayan para sa mga manggagawang Pilipino,” Villar, who is running for senator in the May polls, said.