DPWH halts roadworks in CamSur to ease holiday traffic

LONG QUEUE A long line of vehicles is stuck along the Andaya Highway in Colacling (Del Rosario), Lupi, Camarines Sur, on Sunday morning, with the ongoing repair of some road sections damaged last October by Typhoon “Kristine” (international name: Trami). Traffic is expected to ease by Monday after works were suspended at noon Sunday. —LTO Bicol photo

LEGAZPI CITY, ALBAY, Philippines — To ease traffic congestion as people from the National Capital Region (NCR) head to their provinces in Southern Luzon for the holidays, the Department of Public Works and Highways in Bicol (DPWH-5) suspended roadworks on major highways in Camarines Sur.

The suspension, which started at noon on Sunday, will remain in effect until Jan. 15, 2025, DPWH-Bicol Director Virgilio Eduarte told the Inquirer in a text message.

READ: DPWH reinforces resources as repairs continue on Camarines Sur highway

Eduarte said that although there is an urgency to repair roads damaged by rains spawned by Severe Tropical Storm “Kristine” (international name: Trami) in October and the prevailing shear line, the need to address traffic congestion during the holidays takes precedence.

He added that the three sections of the Andaya Highway that were reopened to two-way traffic on Sunday were expected to prevent major traffic jams.

One-way traffic also resumed at the Daang Maharlika Highway in Labo, Camarines Norte, on Friday evening, he noted.

The DWPH hoped to make all lanes of Andaya Highway passable by Christmas by deploying more manpower and equipment to the area, said Eduarte.

Andaya Highway is a key road linking Quezon province in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) to Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur in the Bicol Region.

Stop and go

Law enforcers were also mobilized to manage holiday traffic along Bicol’s major highways, said Police Brig. Gen. Andre Dizon, the region’s police director.

“Stop-and-go” schemes have been put in place in high-traffic areas, particularly in Lupi town in Camarines Sur, where repairs in Barangay Cabutagan have caused delays during the past few days.

Before the suspension of roadworks on Sunday, the line of vehicles at the then single-lane highway stretched from 7 to 10 kilometers.

To enhance monitoring, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in Bicol has deployed drones to identify violators and manage traffic along the Sipocot-Lupi-Ragay route.

LTO Bicol Director Franz Ranches, in a private message Sunday, said the usual 5,000 vehicles per day volume of traffic at the Andaya Highway went up to 8,000 to 10,000 per day during the holidays.

Grueling trip

Motorists reported being stuck in traffic for at least 20 hours, with one commuter, Frank Villar, saying he spent 22 hours on a trip from Albay to Manila on Friday to attend a relative’s wedding.

“For me, driving my own car to Manila [was] a grueling ordeal. What should’ve been a less than 11-hour trip turned into a 22-hour disaster—a waste of time, money for gas, and so exhausting to drive,” Vibar told Inquirer in a phone interview on Sunday.

His experience echoed the frustrations of many travelers caught in gridlock along the Andaya Highway and Daang Maharlika Highway.

The bus stations in Naga and Legazpi City, as well as the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, have confirmed delays in bus trips to Bicol and are coordinating with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to provide additional buses.

Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. of the second district, in a Facebook post on Sunday, believed a redesign would be needed to correct a “construction flaw” on Andaya Highway, as evidenced by the repeated damage sustained by the road.

Villafuerte, along with other Camarines Sur officials, were also pushing for funding to complete the Ragay-Pasacao Coastal Road and the Libmanan Sky Bridge projects as alternative routes for commuters.