Photos courtesy of Ivan Tristan Gravanzo
By Jasmine Bundalia and Elhanan Pamesa
Hundreds of motorists and commuters in Olongapo City were stuck in a monstrous traffic jam on Monday (Sept. 18) due to the construction of a government road project along the national highway in Barangay Kalaklan.
Many of the inconvenienced Olongapo residents were forced to walk or wait for hours inside their vehicles while trapped in the crawling traffic.
Citing the lack of coordination by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Mayor Rolen Paulino Jr. ordered the halting of the daytime construction activities for the road project.
“I humbly ask for everyone’s understanding regarding the DPWH project in the Kalaklan area. There was a slight oversight in coordinating the project with us,” Paulino stated in an advisory.
Paulino instructed the DPWH to stop construction during daytime hours and resume work from 8 p.m. 4:30 a.m, to minimize the heavy traffic.
The DPWH agreed to the schedule adjustment, the Freeport Insider learned.
As a result of the construction-related traffic congestion, Gordon College in Olongapo has decided to transition to online classes starting 1 p.m. on Monday until Tuesday.
The traffic within the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has also been affected, with reports of gridlock persisting for more than an hour, particularly at the SBMA exit.
A student from San Antonio, Zambales expressed his frustration after he was trapped in the traffic jam for about six hours.
The Gordon College student said there was no immediate announcement or solution to address the traffic issue.
Other Gordon College students were worried that the traffic woes would continue in the coming days. FREEPORT INSIDER
