DavOr, ComVal roads passable

By Anthony S. Allada
National roads connecting typhoon-hit areas in Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley are now passable, the Department of Public Works and Highways 11 has declared.
DPWH regional director Mariano Alquiza has announced that all national roads damaged or blocked in the aftermath of typhoon Pablo in Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental are now passable.
Alquiza said vital road sections leading to the severely damaged towns in Compostela Valley such as New Bataan, Compostela and Monkayo are now fully restored to traffic while the Surigao Sur – Davao Oriental Coastal Road and Compostela – Cateel Road are likewise cleared for passage.
With the opening of the said vital road sections, the DPWH is now working on the construction of a bailey bridge to temporarily connect the towns of Caraga, Baganga, Cateel and Boston from the provincial capital in Davao Oriental.
The Gov. Teodoro Palma Gil Bridge in Manurigao, Caraga in Davao Oriental collapsed in the onslaught of Pablo. Alquiza said they need some bailey panels to construct a temporary passage as it will take some time to reconstruct the collapsed seven spans of the said bridge.
“We are now in the process of retrieving available bailey panels in the region in order to construct a temporary bailey bridge at the cut section of Gov. Teodoro Palma Gil Bridge at Manurigao whose seven spans collapsed,” Alquiza said.
Alquiza said his men is also presently clearing the roadway and constructing a detour road since portions of the existing New Bataan – Maragusan (Brgy. Andap Section) road is blocked by huge boulders. Also, the Ludag Bridge approaches in San Mariano that were scoured are being backfilled and will be serviceable soonest possible time.
Meanwhile, the DPWH 11 announced that some contractors are voluntarily donating tin roofing materials and nails intended to repair damaged school buildings and district hospitals in the two provinces.
“The DPWH, DENR and PCA are now coordinating to put up a band sawmills to produce lumbers out of logs and coconut trunks washed out and strewn all over. The lumbers can be used to construct temporary shelters,” Alquiza said.
He said construction teams from the different DPWH 11 district offices along with teams from DPWH 10 and 13 have been organized and fielded in the calamity-stricken areas to hasten the construction of temporary school buildings, hospitals and rural health units and to keep national roads and bridges passable to hasten the recovery efforts, reopening of schools come January 2013 and bring comfort to the people in the affected areas. (ASA)