Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez is appealing for the understanding of the public on the inconveniences and traffic congestion caused by the ongoing construction of the P85 million Cabug Handumanan Road in Bacolod City.
The mayor has asked the contactor to hasten work and try to finish the road before the year ends and not to wait until the September 2025 deadline, his spokesman Caesar Distrito said in a press release.
Distrito said the mayor assures the public that the traffic congestion and other inconveniences brought about by the ongoing road construction is being addressed by all concerned agencies.
Benitez assured that this is just temporary, but the long term effect is smooth and convenient travel for everyone, Distrito added.
The construction of the Cabug-Handuman Road has been the subject to numerous complaints from residents, motorists and commuters for decades already, he said.
It has been mocked and even called an “abortion road”, “ocean road” or “accident-prone road”, Distrito added.
It was only during the Benitez administration that the neglected road had been finally attended to, he said.
The construction, improvement and rehabilitation of the Cabug-Handumanan Road with a total length of 1.3 kilometers started in April 5, 2024, and is expected to be completed on Sept. 27, 2025, but the mayor has asked the contractor to work double time to finish it before the year ends, Distrito said.
The project also includes the concreting of the drainage with manhole, which will be finished in 90 days depending on the weather, he said.
The present accomplishment of the project is almost 20 percent, he added.
The slow moving work is also caused by the heavy traffic, Distrito said.
The mayor has also directed the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office to deploy personnel to address the traffic congestion, he added.*