A total of 13 national roads in Luzon were rendered impassable after typhoon "Nika" unleashed strong rains and winds in the region, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
DPWH Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan said nine of the affected road sections are in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR ), while the remaining four are located in the Cagayan Valley Region.
In CAR, road closures include the Banaue-Hungduan-Benguet Boundary Road in Ifugao due to landslides and the Banaue-Mayoyao-A Lista-Isabela Boundary Road, also in Ifugao, which was blocked by a soil collapse.
In Kalinga, the Lubuagan-Batong-Buhay Road has been rendered impassable by soil and rock collapse, while in Mountain Province, the Baguio-Bontoc Road faces obstructions from fallen utility poles and soil collapse.
Further closures in Mountain Province include the Mountain Province-Cagayan via Tabuk-Enrile Road and the Mountain Province-Ilocos Sur via Tue Road, both impacted by soil collapse. Multiple sections of the Mountain Province-Nueva Vizcaya Road are blocked in Bontoc, while the Sagada-Besao-Quirino Road in Besao is closed due to soil collapse. The Talubin-Barlig-Natonin-Paracelis-Calaccad Road in Natonin is also due to a combination of soil collapse and mudslides.
In the Cagayan Valley Region, four road sections have been affected, including the Itawes Overflow Bridge in Piat and the Gadu-Carilucud-Nabbotuan-Palao-Maccutay Road in Solana, both impacted by flooding.
The Jct Abbag-Nagtipunan-Nueva Vizcaya Road in Quirino is obstructed by flooding on the detour road, while the Jct Victoria-Maddela-Alicia-Kasibu Boundary Road in Aglipay is blocked by soil collapse and fallen trees.
Additionally, limited access has been reported in Aurora and Isabela, where the Baler-Casiguran Road in Dinalungan and Casiguran, Aurora, and the Santiago-Tuguegarao Road in Isabela are now accessible only to heavy vehicles due to flooding.
DPWH's Disaster and Incident Management Teams, alongside Quick Response Assets, have installed warning signs to inform the public of the closures, with clearing operations set to commence once areas are declared safe for maintenance activities.