Construction, complications

The widening of provincial roads, bridges and highways that has been going on for quite some time now in many parts of the Southern Tagalog region is truly a giant step to forestall the spread of traffic from the metropolis to the rural communities.

Everybody hopes in earnest that appropriate measures are underway to eliminate at least two potential, even already evolving, complications in this regard, particularly in areas where road widening is now more or less nearing completion.

The first is that old electricity, communications and other public posts have suddenly found themselves unduly occupying sizable parts of the widened roads. These are not only eyesores, they are also safety hazards. I wonder which specific government agency has been instructed to move the posts in due course to where they should properly belong? Or is there really a plan to do that?

The second complication is that both sides of the widened roads have become convenient parking lots for commercial and cargo trucks during the day and of every private car owner or driver/operator of public utility vehicles without garage at night. The timely containment of the latter is one essential function that I think should rightly fall on the shoulders of the barangay. The curious question is, have the concerned barangays developed the specific ordinances for this purpose?

At any rate, may this otherwise commendable project truly end up as boon, not bane!

RUDY CORONEL