The Department of Public Works and Highways will construct the P2-billion Tacloban-Palo Diversion Road Project aimed at mitigating flooding during heavy rains and decongesting traffic in Tacloban City and Palo in Leyte.
Tacloban City and Palo were among the areas in the Visayas severely devastated by Super Typhoon “Yolanda” as floods inundated most part of the province.
Public Works Director Nerie Bueno said the proposed 2.87-kiometer, four-lane road would start from San Jose-Candahug Road in Tacloban City to Maharlika Highway in Barangay Campetic, Palo, Leyte, and would travel along the village of Pawing.
The project is designed to decongest vehicular traffic at Maharlika Highway and alleviate flooding problem in the area, he said.
“We hope to commence the road project soon as it is among our priority projects that will serve as an alternate route to relieve traffic congestion at the Junction of Maharlika Highway, Tacloban-Baybay South Road, and Government Center Road,” Bueno said.
He said the project would also protect lives and properties of residents living in flood-prone barangays of Palo and Tacloban City with its flood-control component composed of a 6-meter wide drainage and a double barrel cross drainage in every 50 meters.
“Bigger drainage will mitigate flooding in the Barangays of Candahug, Pawing, and Campetic in Palo, Leyte; and Barangays Caibaan, San Jose, Marasbaras, Manlurip, as well as V&G Subdivision and Imelda Subdivision in Tacloban City which normally turn into swamp lands during rainy and typhoon season and take weeks for floodwaters to subside,” he said.
When completed, Tacloban-Palo Diversion Road—which will also be completed with bike lanes, sidewalk, service road, solar street lights and road safety device components—is also seen to convert the idle, flood-prone lands into prime commercial districts of Leyte.