FOLLOWING a reopening of Kennon Road to inbound traffic for Holy Week, the Joint Inter-Agency Task Force (JIATF) Kennon reopened Kennon Road in a limited capacity for outbound travel.
Under a new advisory issued on Monday, the long-closed road has finally reopened to outbound traffic on Sundays, while inbound travel is allowed for the rest of the week.
Residents remain exempted from the limitations issued by the JIATF but are still mandated to follow safety guidelines and observe the imposed five-ton gross tonnage limit on vehicles passing through the road.
The advisory released by the task force also reminds motorists to strictly adhere to traffic and parking rules and maintain a driving speed of no more than 30 kilometers per hour while on the road.
However, the advisory also stipulates that in the event of any significant inclement weather, ground shaking or earthquakes, or other environmental hazards that may cause landslides and rockfalls, the Municipality of Tuba is empowered to close Kennon Road indefinitely until the municipality and the Cordillera offices of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) guarantee its safety.
Recently, the road was also reopened on April 1 but closed on April 9 due to a minor rockfall incident that could indicate a risk of further erosion and landslide. It was then reopened to inbound traffic on April 11.
Before said reopening, Kennon was reopened in mid-February for the use of visitors going to both the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) activities and expected political candidates on campaign sorties as the election season began.
Kennon has been closed for a long time to traffic from non-resident traffic save for occasional reopening to general traffic, particularly around holidays or long weekends. Most partial reopenings of the road have been only to inbound traffic for non-residents.
