Completion of Daang Kalikasan seen in 2021
THE 14.6-kilometer of the Daang Kalikasan ‘that’s drawing crowds for a chance to view the scenic spots along the way, is expected to be finished in 2021.
Department of Public Works Ilocos region project engineer Willer Bince said only three kilometers of the four-lane road connecting Pangasinan to Zamblaes province, remain under construction.
“We are not sure, however, with the part of Zambales. But for the Daang Kalikasan in Mangatarem town, we target to finish it before the onset of rainy season. And then, we will proceed with the 30-meter bridge and some five-kilometer road that will connect Mangatarem and Aguiilar towns, which we hope will be funded next year,” he said.
The construction of the bridge and the road at the boundaries of Mangatarem and Aguilar towns is estimated to cost an additional PHP300 million and PHP400 million respectively, he added.
Daang Kalikasan is a 54-kilometer, five years project of the national government initiated in 2012 by then Second District Rep. now Lingayen Mayor Leopoldo Bataoil.
The construction of the Mangatarem side started in 2017 alongside the highway on the Zambales side, with the intention to have both ends meet in the middle by 2021, Bataoil said.
He said it used to be an old logging road carved by illegal loggers along the mountainous terrains and forest areas.
He said he traversed the road in 2011 and 2012 during the dry and wet seasons and knew it could be widened, improved and maximized to provide the shortest link from Pangasinan to Zambales and vice versa.
“This road linking the two provinces will hasten not only travel but also trade and tourism since it passes through mountains and its construction will also ensure the protection and preservation of the remaining virgin forests in the area,” he said.
He said once the area is developed, both sides of the highway can be tapped for eco-tourism projects since the road is very scenic, he added.
Once completed, travelers from central and eastern Pangasinan need not pass through the towns and city in western Pangasinan to get to Zambales. (Helen Martin)
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