Two tourism access roads and a farm-to-mill road (FMR) with a total project cost of P102.2 million have been completed recently in three locations across Negros Occidental.
In a report yesterday, the Department of Public Works and Highways in Western Visayas (DPWH-6) said a P5.1 million FMR now provides infrastructure support to two villages in the province’s Himamaylan City.
Benefiting sugarcane farmers and residents of barangays Cabadiangan and Mambagaton, the 312-meter road facilitates convenient transport of local products to various locations and access to neighboring cities and towns.
“The completion of this road provides sugarcane farmers with infrastructure support, such as the upgrade of existing roadways. Also, residents and farmers can now get to work and other places safely, easily, and reliably,” DPWH-6 Regional Director Nerie Bueno said in a statement.
In Moises Padilla town, a P19.9-million concrete access road, a project of the DPWH and the Department of Tourism, has been constructed going to the Kaitulari Ecopark in the upland village of Guinpana-an, the first eco-tourism zone in Negros Island declared in 1998.
“Located in Barangay San Benito, the road serves as a detour route going to neighboring towns and leisure places,” Bueno said.
As a tourist attraction, the Kaitulari Ecopark has substantial camping grounds in a land area of 30 hectares, and the paving of the access road allows travelers to experience its magnificence and visit Lake Kasita for the best view of Mount Kanlaon and its reflection in the water, the DPWH-6 said.
In Bacolod, a P77.2-million paved road makes travel easier, going to Mambukal Resort and Wildlife Sanctuary in the neighboring Murcia town.
The 1.02-kilometer road project, constructed by the DPWH as part of the Tourism Road Infrastructure Project, stretches from Benigno S. Aquino Drive to Barangay 23.
“This road concreting project aims to provide direct accessibility and ease in transportation to local markets and economic zones,” Bueno said.
Part of the project is the improvement of the drainage system, which will help address the heavy volume of water during the rainy season, she added. (PNA)