CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Department of Public Works and Highways Regional Director Roseller Tolentino recently instructed all District Engineers in Central Luzon to ensure that all national roads in their jurisdiction are clear of roadway objects.
According to Tolentino, government contractors must comply with the mandatory installation of construction safety warning signage at project sites.
This, after the release of a memorandum by Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo that reiterated the various issuances of the Department related to road safety measures.
Tolentino said there have been reported road accidents allegedly caused by construction projects implemented by the agency.
“Government contractors implementing road projects must ensure that there is an adequate number of signage and traffic control devices at construction sites, and in fact, we require them to submit a worksite traffic management plan and traffic operational plan, so we expect that road accidents caused by civil works will be minimized,” Tolentino explained.
The Director added that DPWH field engineers who oversee the implementation of projects must ascertain that visible road signs are placed at the right distance especially at night when most road accidents occur.
“There are many factors that contribute to road safety such as insufficient lighting at construction sites, poorly maintained roadways, presence of obstructions within the right-of-way of national roads such and all these should be removed,” Tolentino remarked.
District Engineers were also reminded of their obligation to immediately remove or cause the removal of all obstructions on national roads.
Tolentino, a staunch advocate of road safety, has been coordinating with Central Luzon LGUs and other stakeholders on the strict enforcement of anti-overloading policies and said that not only does the lack of proper safety signage threaten road safety but even overloaded vehicles contribute to many of the fatal accidents on our roads.
