Major highway of Gensan soon to be developed, expanded

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (18 April 2015) - The Department of Public Works and Highways is already preparing for the development and expansion of the National Highway-Mabuhay road junction to ease rush hour traffic there.

During the Tagboan sa City Hall monthly press conference, Engr. Nerio Concepcion said the DPWH regional office is already gearing for the development of the junction which would involve the construction of an overpass and underpass.

Concepcion said this project, although originally set to start in 2016, would be underway on the first or second semester of this year, or before the election ban takes effect.

Concepcion said the development of the highway is one of the DPWH major projects in Gensan for 2016. He said the project would cost around P350 million. The Bulaong-National Highway section is also included in the project.

City Mayor Ronnel Rivera expressed his gratitude to the DPWH for helping the city solve one of its major problems, which is traffic.

“I thank the DPWH for heeding our request to rehabilitate and develop the National Highway – Mabuhay junction. The traffic there is really severe especially in rush hours, that is why we had prior talks with them (DPWH) regarding this matter,” Mayor Rivera said.

The mayor also said the city government is actively counter-parting every project that the DPWH downloads to the city.

For 2015, the DPWH has poured 72 hard projects to Gensan alone, which comprise the construction and redevelopment of secondary roads, streetlights, bridges, and drainage system.

“Most of these projects are in their 90% completion,” Concepcion said. “All these have amounted to around P600 million.”

The street lighting of the main highways of the city such as in the DARBCI – Hadano Park, Hadano Park – Makar, Lagao – Katangawan, and Lagao – Tinagacan were made possible through the partnership of the DPWH, the city government, and SOCOTECO II.

As of now, Mayor Rivera is overseeing the upcoming refurbishment of the Plaza Heneral Santos with the help of the City Engineer’s Office (CEO). The Sangguniang Panlungsod has already approved the P4 million budget for this project.

The overall plan and design for the development of the plaza is already being managed by the CEO headed by Engr. Francisco Provido. (Gensan CPIO/ Ian John Lagare)