THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said it hopes to finish initial repairs on the Maharlika Highway project before early April in anticipation of the Easter travel season.

“We need to finish this before Holy Week. The highway from Quezon all the way to Leyte must be passable by then,” Public Works Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon said in a statement on  Tuesday.

Easter Sunday falls on April 5 this year. The week of Easter is typically marked by extensive use of the roads by travelers heading to and from their home provinces, and by vacationers.

The DPWH is also planning to start the bidding process for more extensive rehabilitation work on the highway in April or May, with construction due to start by June.

The Maharlika Highway starts in northern Luzon and terminates in Zamboanga, linked by ferry crossings between Bicol and Samar as well as Leyte and Surigao.

The DPWH said it will suspend one-way traffic schemes on the highway next week. The lane closures were effected to allow for the temporary repairs, Mr. Dizon said.

Last month, the DPWH said the temporary repairs  include patching stretches of uneven road.

The DPWH has said it engaged foreign consultants to help draft the rehabilitation plan to allow for suitable new technologies to be incorporated in the build, in order to bring the repaired road up to international standards. — Ashley Erika O. Jose

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