CAGAYAN de Oro 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said he expects to complete the construction of the P3.2-billion Cagayan de Oro City Bypass by 2027.

The bypass road project highlights 4 lanes with a bay walk facing the Macajalar Bay including 5 major bridges or viaducts that cross the Baloy Port, Gusa, Cugman, Umalag, and Agusan River.

Rodriguez since 2021 is focused on the implementation of Phase 2 of the Cagayan de Oro Coastal By-pass Road (Puerto-Gusa) to address traffic congestion in the city.

“The Coastal By-pass Road (Phase 2) from Barangay Puerto to Barangay Gusa will be completed in 2027,” said Rodriguez. 

Rodriguez said that the public works department officials are also on track to continue with the city’s high-standard highways master plan from Phase 1 and 2 in the next five years.

Earlier, Rodriguez said the long-held problem of traffic gridlock, especially in major thoroughfares, has always been a problem for all Cagayanons, so the traffic congestion program focuses on the improvement of the national and city road network.

In a statement on Monday, Rodriguez stated that the coastal road extension will ease traffic congestion on the city’s only highway or the Butuan-Cagayan de Oro-Iligan Road (BCIR).

It is aimed at reducing travel time from 1.5 hours to only 25 minutes and generating jobs and eco-tourism in the second district of the city.  

In 2021, Rodriguez was able to secure P170 million to begin the project; another P150 million in 2022; and P510 million was allocated in 2023. 

The project is estimated to cost P3.2B of which P830M has already been secured by Rodriguez. 

It can be recalled that Rodriguez continuously fought in Congress for the funds needed to construct the P2 billion CdeO Coastal Bypass Road Phase 1 from Puntod to Lapasan and Gusa which was inaugurated in 2017. 

Currently, other high-impact projects under the Rodriguez initiative include the CdeO Diversion Road (P3.5 billion) from Balubal to Indahag to the Laguindingan Airport; and the CdeO Eastern Interior Road (P2 billion) from JR Borja Extension, Gusa to Sayre Highway, Puerto, passing at the back of Nestle factory, Tablon.