Public safety, access sought in P225M Pampanga road project

Pampanga map. INQUIRER FILES

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO,Pampanga — A leader of the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PamCham) has demanded the installation of safety gadgets and access by business establishments along an ongoing P225-million road project at the Manila North Road in this Pampanga capital.

Renato Romero, PamCham co-founder and director, said he was worried about public safety amid excavations and other preliminary works in the area.

Roseller Tolentino, director of the Department of Public Works and Highways, said he had instructed district engineers to ensure the compliance of the contractor.

Royal Crown Monarch Construction and Supplies Corp., the known winning bidder, reportedly began installing signage and reflectorized posts on Monday night.

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The project, located along the banking district of Barangay Dolores, replaces the asphalt finish with cement blocks.

Romero said the plastic straws and yellow tape prohibiting crossing were not enough to ensure public safety.

Billboards informing the public about project duration, contractor, amount and number of construction days were not in sight, Romero said.

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“The PIBs (project information boards) are important for transparency and accountability. And there is a mandated size for these. The Dolores Intersection project has no billboard. That should have been put up prior to the actual construction works,” Romero said in a statement.

Several establishments along the project segment reported drops in clientele by as much as 50 percent. INQ