The Ifugao bypass road project is expected to support agriculture of the province by offering safer, faster route of rice farmers to bagsakan centres. Credit: Giovanni G. Navata.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the Philippines has completed the concreating of a 1.55km segment of the Ifugao bypass road.

This project is aimed at shortening the distance between the municipality of Lagawe and Lamut in Ifugao Province.

DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said that the DPWH Ifugao first District Engineering Office recently completed phase one of the road construction and improvement project in Barangay Tungngod, Lagawe section.

The project entailed an investment of PHP48.1m ($994,438).

The completed project includes the development of a two-lane concrete road with provisions of drainage, slope protection, and road safety devices.

This road passes over the mountainous slopes of Barangay Tungngod, Caba, Luta, Ponghal, Buyabuyan, Olilicon, and Tupaya, in Lagawe town, till Barangay Hapid, Sanafe, and Poblacion East in the municipality of Lamut.

Once the bypass road is fully constructed, it is expected to support agriculture of Ifugao by offering a safer, faster route of rice farmers to bagsakan centres.

According to Luzon Operations senior undersecretary Rafael CYabut, Lagawe-Lamut bypass road will also serve as alternate route when the Nueva Vizcaya-Ifugao-Mt Province Road is unpassable during closures.

Earlier this month, DPWH signed a detailed engineering design (DED) works contract for an interlink bridge between Bataan and Cavite.

This new project expected to bridge the travel gap between the Provinces of Bataan and Cavite.

Last month, the organisation announced plans to extend the road from Barangay Puerto in Opol, Misamis Oriental, to Barangay Gusa, Cagayan De Oro City.