(PAGASA 24-HOUR PUBLIC WEATHER FORECAST as of Wednesday, 27 March 2024) Easterlies affecting the eastern section of the country. Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur will experience Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms due to Easterlies / Localized Thunderstorms. Possible flash floods or landslides during severe thunderstorms.


Thursday, March 4, 2021

High-impact road projects to improve inter-provincial travel, domestic trade in Caraga region

By Ian G. Maculob

BUTUAN CITY, Mar. 4 -- Commuters will soon enjoy a shorter travel time from Agusan del Norte to Surigao del Sur and vice-versa upon completion of multi-billion road projects by 2022.

Construction works have started since 2016 for the Butuan City – Pianing – Tandag (BPT) Road and Cabadbaran – Puting Bato – Lanuza  (CPL) Road, which includes road opening and upgrading to paved roads.

The two road projects have a total budget allocation of PhP14.871 billion, which includes PhP8.152 billion and PhP6.719 billion for the BPT Road and the CPL Road, respectively.

With a total length of 55.82km, the BPT Road will provide interconnectivity between the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur which will not only provide a direct inter-provincial connectivity among the three provinces but also promote development in the agriculture industry and domestic trade. On the other hand, the CPL Road, which is part of the Mindanao Logistics Infrastructure Network, stretching from Junction Daang Maharlika (Surigao – Agusan Road) to Junction Surigao - Davao Coastal Road, Lanuza, Surigao del Sur for about 73.048km, is expected to promote development in eco-tourism, agriculture industry and domestic trade.

When completed, travel time will be reduced by a maximum of one hour and 30 minutes. 

Priscila R. Sonido, regional director of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Caraga and chairperson of the Regional Project Monitoring Committee (RPMC), has pushed anew the commitment of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to ramp up completion of the said projects.

“Let us inform the public that these projects can be used soon,” she said during the 1st Quarter RPMC Meeting, which was held through a teleconference on March 2, 2021. Dir. Sonido further instructed the RPMC to include the said projects in its monitoring activities to ensure that delays and other issues will be addressed quickly.

In the same meeting, the DPWH Caraga reported that physical completion for the BPT Road and CPL Road is at 17.67% and 35.25%, respectively. (NEDA-Caraga/PIA-Caraga)