The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) yesterday said it has started the partial operation of the P1.1-billion Samar Pacific Coastal Road project in Eastern Visayas.
Emil Sadain, DPWH undersecretary and Build, Build, Build program chief implementer, recently led the opening of the 161-meter Simora Bridge and approach and the first 8-kilometer new concrete paved two-lane, two-way road from Junction Simora along Simora-Palapag road in Northern Samar.
The coastal road project will link the Pacific towns in Northern Samar which starts at the Simora Junction and traverses to the remote coastal villages of Laoang, Catubig and Palapag.
Sadain said the opening of Simora Bridge and the initial 8-km concrete road will facilitate better access to some 80 percent of the 1,411 households with 5,538 population, mostly engaged in coconut and rice farming covering nine barangays with 1,274 hectares of land traversed by the project in the remote coastal municipalities of Palapag, Laoang and Catubig in Northern Samar.
“After four years of challenging construction, the partial opening of the Samar Pacific Coastal Road is a huge step to the realization of the vision to provide comfortable and improved interconnectivity that will support sustainable agricultural development, and contribute to food self-sufficiency program and in sustaining peace and development efforts in Northern Samar,” said Sadain.
DPWH said the onset of the pandemic and inclement weather condition in Eastern Visayas brought major hurdles in the construction, delaying the target full completion of the Samar Pacific Coastal Road, which is one of the 119 infrastructure flagship projects under the Build, Build, Build program.
DPWH implemented the project with funding assistance from the Republic of Korea, through Export-Import Bank of Korea, and contractor Ilsung Construction Co. Ltd. of Korea in partnership Pacific Concrete Products.
This road will complement and eventually establish the Samar Island circumferential road that is seen to bring much-needed community development in these small towns and overall economic progress in the province, said Sadain.
