Kennon Road remains closed to the public

June 22, 2020 Provincial

TUBA, Benguet, June 20,2020) – The Department of Public Works and Highways here yesterday said that for the safety of the riding public, the Kennon Road remains closed to the public while slope protection and other construction works are being implemented in the various sections of the road line.

The Cordillera Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the Kennon Road Joint Inter-Agency Task Group inspected a new Kennon Road on Thursday to look into the
ongoing constructions and the developments being done along the historic road to ensure safety of the riding public.

CRDRRMC Chairperson and OCD-CAR Regional Director Albert Mogol and DPWH-CAR Regional Director Tiburcio Canlas led the inspection with the representatives from the EMBCAR, MGB-CAR, PIA-CAR, Tuba Municipal Police Station, and the barangay officials along Kennon Road.

Canlas said the slope protection projects including the rock netting and the curtain netting for identified active and passive landslide areas along the mountain sides are now up to 90 percent. Works are still ongoing in several sections which have been delayed due to the stoppage of work in the past months with the implementation of community quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Task Group also inspected the critical areas and the landslide- prone areas with the technical persons of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau and the Environmental Management Bureau of the
DENR-Cordillera to look into the situation of the road and its safety with the rainy season on.

The DENR personnel conducted drone inspection as well as walkthrough of the different sections along Kennon Road. They even looked into a reported development being done along the portions of the mountain top which allegedly have no documents from their offices.

Mogol said that based on their initial findings, Kennon Road will remain closed to the public until further notice until such time that the DPWH would complete the ongoing safety precaution
works. However, it is open for residents along the road.

Meanwhile, the Council and the Task Group would wait for the findings and assessment from the MGB and EMB as basis for the possible opening of Kennon Road. He added that since tourism industry is no yet open, those allowed to travel during the community quarantine going in and out of Baguio City could use the Marcos Highway or Naguillian Road.

The famous road going to Baguio City has been the subject of temporary closure and reopening in the recent years due to damages caused by landslides and continuing rehabilitation works.