Kennon Road temporarily opens to light vehicles

BAGUIO, Philippines – After two years, Kennon Road is finally opened. At least for this weekend.

At the request of Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, the inter-agency Kennon Task Force approved a temporary opening of Kennon Road.

From 6 pm on Friday, November 22, until 6 pm on Monday, November 25, Kennon Road will be open to traffic heading into Baguio for light vehicles weighing 5 tons or less. This window is only open for vehicles going up.

The reopening was also recommended by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), and is intended to ease the traffic buildup in the other routes.

If the experiment proves successful, they might consider opening it for the rest of the year.

This time, however, only the upward lane is available for motorist use, with the downward lane is reserved strictly for the use of residents along Kennon Road.

Motorists are also advised to strictly observe the speed limit of 20 kph along the road and pay attention to traffic rules to ease travel.

Additionally, visitors looking to go down and view the Lion’s Head in Kennon are now required to get a clearance from the police checkpoint at the Camp 8 Viewdeck and leave a valid ID, or else they will not be allowed on the road.

While the one-way opening of the road is only set for this weekend, the task force is eyeing the possibility of opening the road in a similar manner each weekend provided safe weather conditions. – Rappler.com