DPWH continues to repair damaged roads in East and North Samar

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
January 23, 2011

TACLOBAN CITY  –  The Department of Public Works and Highways continues to repair roads in Eastern and Northern Samar that were damaged by the torrential rain since January 2, 2011.

Per report submitted to the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council of Eastern Visayas, DPWH Director Rolando Asis informed that only half lane is passable at the Camp 5 Boundary, Junction of Taft-Borongan Road, at Kilometer 892+930, Barangay Polangi, Taft, Eastern Samar. The maintenance crew of DPWH has installed warning signs.

In order to go to Catbalogan City in Samar, commuters from Borongan, Eastern Samar have to go to Guiuan town and to Tacloban City via Marabut Samar Road, to take a van going to Catbalogan City.

In Northern Samar, the Mainland Road Network, Catarman-Rawis-San Roque Section, at Kilometer 769+300, was damaged. A detour road was constructed to restore the normal flow of traffic. The DPWH said that this road is passable only to vehicles weighing 3 to 5 tons.

As of January 20, 2011, Pangpang-Palapag-Mapanas-Lapinig Road, Malobago-Panhagdanan Section, at Kilometer 812+350, Sitio Malobago, Nipa, Palapag town in Northern Samar, is hardly passable to all types of vehicles.

Meanwhile, the Palapag-Mapanas-Gamay-Lapinig Road, Kilometer 320+000 – Kilometer 821+000, at Ginpandayan area, along Cabatuan-Magtalom Section, as of January 20, is passable only to motorcycles.

To date, the damages to infrastructure facilities in Eastern Samar has been estimated at P68,789,500.

On the other hand, the damages to infrastructure facilities in Northern Samar has been estimated to be P143,500,000.