Manila, May 11 (Engineering Daily) -- The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is constructing a new road to serve as a seamless connection to the provinces of Antique, Central and Northern Iloilo, and Capiz in Panay Island, Western Visayas Region.
According to DPWH 6 Regional Director Wenceslao M. Leaño, Jr., the project dubbed as Panay East-West Lateral Road has a total budget allocation of P2.6 billion which involves the construction of a 20-meter wide, 41-kilometer stretch road with bridges and slope protection.
Expected to be fully completed in 2020, the road will reduce travel time to two hours the usual two hours and 30 minutes from Central Iloilo to the province of Antique and vice versa, and would benefit approximately 300 motorists per day.
More than the shorter travel time, the road is seen to boost tourism and deliver positive impacts on the agricultural productivity in the highland communities in Western Visayas Region.