DAVAO CITY—Road constructions are expected to mark the city in 2017 as the Department of Public Works and Highways will allocate P41.5 billion worth of projects here next year.
Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang, City Council Committee on Finance, Ways and Means chairman, said 13 major road constructions are set next year, which the DPWH will undertake to answer the traffic woes in the metro.
Dayanghirang said the projects will start on the early months of January, or as soon as the city council approves the project.
He said the city council will work on passing the city’s counterpart budget for the road constructions before the year ends.
“We will hear this on the city council before December 31, since it will need the council’s approval. Rest assured it will start on the early months of 2017,” he said.
The road projects include major road expansions and the opening of new roads.
Dayanghirang said the P41 billion will also cover the road rights-of-way payments. The city will negotiate with the residents and the DPWH to assure they will be properly paid.
“We have to remember that these are legitimate house owners and not squatters,” the councilor said.
The city personally requested the projects to the DPWH to alleviate its traffic congestion, especially since major infrastructure and economic projects are expected in the city in the next few years.
The P41 billion worth of projects from the DPWH is different from the P6.9-billion annual budget of the city that is yet to be approved by the city council.
The 76 percent of the city’s annual budget will go to maintenance and operations costs, 21 percent for the development fund and 1.8 percent for economic enterprise. The rest will be distributed to the city’s different offices.