Road work stopped, execs keep ‘Undas’ watch

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Three government road expansion projects on the MacArthur Highway (Manila North Road) in Tarlac have been suspended  until Nov. 1 to help ease the heavy traffic flow during the All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day holidays, a Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) official said.

The contractor, Northern Builders, was advised to suspend construction of additional lanes of the Paniqui-Moncada, Tarlac City-Gerona and Bamban-Capas portions of the highway, said Antonio Molano Jr., director of the DPWH in Central Luzon.

The construction of canals could proceed as long as this would not slow down traffic flow, Molano said by telephone on Saturday.

These projects cost taxpayers P147.169 million for the Paniqui-Moncada section, P324.792 million for the Tarlac City-Gerona part and P231.781 million for the Bamban-Capas stretch,  DPWH reports showed.

Only vehicles weighing six tons and below are allowed to cross the Cutcut Bridge in Bamban. Those driving trucks are asked to take the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway via the Luisita toll gate, Molano said.

The Camiling Bridge is passable to all types of vehicles.

Molano said the DPWH has also set up 29 stations along major thoroughfares in Central Luzon to help motorists. Each station has mechanics. Two trucks are also on standby to pull vehicles.

These stations provide information on alternative routes to destinations, Molano said.

In Camp Aquino in Tarlac City, Lieutenant General Jessie Dellosa, chief of the military’s Northern Luzon Command, ordered some 10,000 soldiers in the Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and the Cordillera to work with the police to ensure that the people can pay respects to their departed relatives.

Dellosa said he also instructed troops to be vigilant against attacks by armed groups during the holidays.

At least 45 passengers of boats bound for island and coastal towns of Cagayan and Isabela for the holidays were stranded in a port in northern Cagayan on Saturday due to rough seas. Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon, and Villamor Visaya Jr., Inquirer Northern Luzon