New and sturdy catchwalls completed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will now protect the daily traffic along Caglanipao National Road in Barangay Cagmanipis and Barangay Caglanipao Sur in Tinambacan District, Samar.
Based on a report submitted by DPWH-Samar 1st District Engineer Alvin A. Ignacio to DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar, the road is surrounded by unstable mountainous terrain which causes landslides and rockfalls that endanger a huge number of motorists, especially during rainy and typhoon season.
Implemented in June last year, the P100-million project involves the construction of slope protection structure spanning a length of 463.7 meters along the landslide-prone area.
Concrete catchwalls are designed to arrest errant boulders that have broken off from the rock outcrop as well as prevent loose soil from spilling over onto the roads.
“Landslides caused by tropical storms like Gorio, Salome, and Urduja has caused millions worth of damages and major inconvenience not just to the locals in the area but also to commuters,” said Secretary Villar.
It can be recalled that tropical storm Gorio alone generated 15,000 cubic meters of soil and debris that covered approximately 138 meters of Calbayog-Allen Road traversing Caglanipao.