Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo praised programs and projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) that mitigate flooding and are continuously implemented in the city.
Robredo, together with DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, inspected various ongoing and completed projects in the city on Thursday.
Robredo said several areas that previously experienced severe flooding now recover more quickly after heavy rains due to flood mitigation measures implemented in the city.
“There are areas here that used to experience severe flooding, but now they no longer do. When there is very heavy rain, they still flood, but once the rain stops, the water recedes. It is no longer like before when the water would remain stagnant,” she said.
She also cited the DPWH’s provision of a mobile pump that can be deployed to areas where floodwaters remain after heavy rainfall.
“We have already tried it in Mabolo, and it was very effective. It is on standby so it can be deployed wherever there is severe flooding,” she said.
Robredo said flood mitigation also requires cooperation from residents, particularly in preventing garbage from clogging drainage systems.
The city government, she added, is working closely with barangays to improve waste management and ensure that efforts to address flooding are carried out jointly at the community level.
Meanwhile, Robredo said another DPWH project aims to improve pedestrian safety along M.T. Villanueva Avenue, a national highway where several large schools are located.
She said the plan for the area started last year after the city identified the road as particularly vulnerable because it is pedestrian-heavy, with four schools in the area, including three major schools serving tertiary, secondary and primary students.
“This is a pedestrian-heavy area, yet we only have four lanes intended for a national highway. The tendency is for vehicles to speed up, but it is dangerous because there are not enough pedestrian spaces,” she said.
Robredo said the existing pedestrian area is also not conducive for people walking along the road, prompting improvements that include a wider sidewalk and an elevated bike lane separated from vehicles.
She said the sidewalk being constructed will be nearly twice as wide, while the roadway width will be reduced from about 3.3 meters to 3 meters per lane.
The project will also include traffic-calming measures and improvements to road curves to prevent vehicles from gaining speed, particularly when turning.
Robredo said the road design is intended to complement existing speed limits, noting that physical changes to the roadway can help slow vehicles even when traffic enforcement is limited.
In addition, Robredo said the ongoing construction of the Almeda-Triangulo bypass road is expected to ease traffic congestion along the city’s existing diversion road.
She said the diversion road has effectively become a main road, with trucks traveling from the south toward Manila using the route.
The volume of large vehicles has made traffic management difficult because trucks and other vehicles are mixed with local traffic, prompting the city to impose truck restrictions to address complaints and delays.
Robredo said the new road would provide an alternative route for trucks and other large vehicles, allowing the city to better manage traffic along the existing diversion road.
She said the city is awaiting the completion of the project around the middle of next year, after which traffic regulations along the diversion road can also be adjusted. (PNA)