HUNDREDS of travelers are stuck for as long as 10 hours on the national highway at the boundary of the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya and Isabela at a road reblocking site in Barangay Caquilingan in Cordon town on Wednesday. Melvin Gascon/Inquirer Northern Luzon
BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya —Road repairs along the Daang Maharlika from Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela, to Cagayan provinces have triggered 10-hour traffic gridlocks for three successive days beginning on Tuesday.
Motorists blamed a road reblocking project in Cordon town in Isabela.
The Daang Maharlika stretch in Diadi, Nueva Vizcaya province, and in Cordon is the single arterial road that links the northern provinces of Cagayan Valley to the rest of Luzon.
Truckers use this route to transport rice, corn and other agricultural products to Central Luzon and Metro Manila.
Ongoing reblocking and widening activities along the national highway in Santa Fe, Bayombong, Bagabag and Diadi towns in Nueva Vizcaya have also been the perennial source of complaints from motorists and commuters.
“The government’s failure to address this simple problem very well represents the dysfunction that is plaguing our country. This is criminal negligence,” said Rustico Babaran, Jr., a bank employee from Cagayan.
Members of the Paginag family, who were on their way to Vigan City on Thursday, missed the burial of their grandmother because of the traffic jam in Cordon.
Truck driver Danilo Pajarillo failed to deliver his cargo in Santiago City on time. He said he would need to pay penalties which would be deducted from his salary.
Overseas worker Roldan Abungan, who was bound for South Korea on Friday, missed his flight. “Elections are near, so we see all these road repairs. They are again raising campaign money at our expense,” he said.
Stranded trucks, buses and cars crowded the main roads during the week of gridlocks. Some vehicles were pinned on opposing sides of the roads in a bid to move forward.
The Cordon road repair is part of a P35.3-million Daang Maharlika rehabilitation project being implemented by the Isabela 4th District of the Department Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
“The public outrage is understandable because being stuck on the road for 10 hours is really too much. This is why I have been reminding our district personnel to do everything they can and not to let things like these happen in the future,” said Nerie Bueno, acting Cagayan regional director of the DPWH.
Bueno said the gridlocks were aggravated by motorists. Trailer trucks stalled as these negotiated tight turns and single-lane sections of the highway near the road project sites.
Some drivers failed to heed roadside flagmen, causing the traffic problem to worsen, Bueno said.
“We are seeking the help of other agencies because the
DPWH alone cannot effectively manage traffic congestion at road construction sites. We need to have good coordination with (the police and local governments) as well,” Bueno said. Melvin Gascon, Inquirer Northern Luzon