A total of P4.4-billion worth of road works are set as part of a year-long rehabilitation initiative by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) along the Surigao-Agusan and Agusan-Davao Sections of Daang Maharlika within the area of responsibility of Caraga Region in Mindanao.
According to DPWH Regional Office 13 Director Pol M. Delos Santos, there are 45 projects included in the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA) aimed to improve the condition of the Daang Maharlika Road that starts from Barangay Lipata in Surigao City, Surigao del Norte and ends in Barangay Langkilaan in Trento, Agusan del Sur.
The province of Agusan del Sur receives significant portion of the budget for 29 projects with total cost of P3.19 billion after careful study and identification of priority sections of Daang Maharlika needing improvements. The DPWH Agusan del Sur First and Second District Engineering Offices (DEOs) will oversee the implementation of 13 and 16 projects, respectively.
Meanwhile, the rest of the projects will cover the provinces of Agusan del Norte with six (6) projects worth P456.78 million; Surigao del Norte with seven (7) projects worth P519.91 million; and, in Butuan City with three (3) projects worth P275.34 million.
Director Delos Santos, in his report to DPWH Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan and Undersecretary for Mindanao Operations Eugenio R. Pipo Jr., said that the projects to be implemented by DPWH along the Daang Maharlika in Caraga range from preventive maintenance or asphalt overlaying; major repair and widening of roads and bridges; concrete reblocking; to installations of road safety measures such as pavement markings and signages.
Director Delos Santos assured swift and close monitoring of the projects, which are given priority status considering the prominence of Daang Maharlika as the major trunkline in the Philippines and the recent directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to repair damaged roads after the recent flooding and earthquake in the Caraga Region.
“We are accelerating the pre-construction requirements of these projects with some having completed procurement activities and are ready for implementation. Once all requirements are in place, we will immediately commence construction works,” said Director Delos Santos.