Draft:N670 highway
.svg?lang=en) | |
|---|---|
| Major junctions | |
| North end |  N1 (Maharlika Highway) in Allen, Northern Samar |
| |
| South end | N1 (Maharlika Highway) in Basey, Samar |
| Location | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Provinces | |
| Towns | |
| Highway system | |
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Route description
[edit]Northern Samar
[edit]1st district
[edit]Near the port of Allen, the highway starts. The section is named the Allen-Catarman Road. The road passes through the towns of Lavezares, Rosario, San Jose, and Bobon,[1] reaching the municipality of Catarman. It has an intersection with the Catarman-Calbayog Road. It becomes the Catarman-Laoang Road.[2]
2nd district
[edit]It passes the town of Mondragon[3] before switching to the second Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) district in Northern Samar. It crosses through the towns of San Roque,[4] Pambujan. A small boat ride takes the road to Laoang.[5] The road becomes the Laoang-Calomotan Road. After reaching Calomotan over a small distance, a boat ride takes the road to Pangpang before becoming the Pangpang-Palapag-Mapanas-Gamay-Lapinig Road or the PAMAGALA Road. The road passes through the towns of Palapag, Mapanas, Gamay, and eventually Lapinig.[6][2]
Eastern Samar
[edit]The road changes to the Jct Taft-Oras-San Policarpo-Arteche Road. It passes through the towns of Arteche, San Policarpo, Oras, Dolores, and Can-avid before having an intersection with the Wright–Taft Road in Taft. The road changes to the Wright-Taft-Borongan Road. The road passes through the towns of Sulat[7] and San Julian. In Borongan, it changes to the Borongan-Guiuan Road. It passes through the towns of Maydolong, Hernani, General MacArthur, and eventually Quinapondan, where it switches to the Jct Buenavista-Lawaan-Marabut Road in an intersection with a portion of the Borongan-Guiuan Road. It passes through the towns of Giporlos, Balangiga, and Lawaan before entering the province of Samar.[2]
Samar
[edit]Upon entering Samar, the road becomes the Basey-Marabut-Pinamitinan Road. It passes through the towns of Marabut and Basey before splitting into two roads: the Dolongan-Basey Road and the San Juanico-Basey-Sohoton Road. Both of them end up in the Maharlika Highway, leading up to the San Juanico Bridge.[2]
History
[edit]Creation
[edit]In June 2000, the South Samar Coastal Road, a part of the highway connecting Samar and Eastern Samar was opened.[8] In the early 2000s, the Taft-Guiuan Highway was constructed.[9] In November 2006, then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the release of funds for the Northern Samar to Eastern Samar highway portion.[10]
Further history
[edit]In January 2019, the Allen-Catarman road was damaged by Tropical Depression Usman.[11] In November 2022, the Allen-Catarman road was damaged again from Tropical Storm Nalgae, locally named Paeng on a cost of 20 million pesos.[12] In November 2023, seven bridges from the highway were damaged by flooding from a shear line. Five of the damaged bridges were located in the Allen-Catarman Road while two of the bridges were located in the Catarman-Laoang road.[13] On October 23, 2024, the northern portion of the road was considered impassable because of heavy winds from Tropical Storm Trami, locally named Kristine.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ "DPWH-Northern Samar First DEO completed the off-carriageway improvement in Bobon, Northern Samar". Leyte Samar Daily News. October 9, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "ArcGIS Web Application". dpwh.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ "Road widening project in Mondragon, Northern Samar now completed". Leyte Samar Daily News. June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
- ^ "Widening of P81M Balud Bridge along Catarman-Laoang Road, completed". Leyte Samar Daily News. August 15, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
- ^ "DPWH Upgrades Vital Catarman-Laoang Road in Northern Samar". Department of Public Works and Highways. October 14, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
- ^ "NSSDEO completes new drainage project along PAMAGALA Road". Leyte Samar Daily News. December 18, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
- ^ "DPWH conducts major repairs to priority national bridges in Eastern Samar". Leyte Samar Daily News. July 4, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ Labro, Vicente (June 22, 2000). Samar cave yields ancient burial sites. Philippine Daily Inquirer.
- ^ Borrinaga, Rolando (August 16, 2003). Hell in Samar paradise. Philippine Daily Inquirer.
- ^ Labro, Ven (November 6, 2006). Samar road projects get priority. Philippine Daily Inquirer.
- ^ "DPWH reports of P54.5 million of damaged roads in EV due to 'Usman'". Leyte Samar Daily News. January 7, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ "DPWH in the region report of over P325 million of roads and bridges destroyed due to 'Paeng'". Leyte Samar Daily News. November 8, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ Abella, Lizbeth Ann (November 25, 2023). "Damage to public infra from shear line in E. Visayas reaches P469-M". Philippine News Agency. Archived from the original on August 12, 2024. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ Rosel, Trixee (October 23, 2024). "'Kristine' shuts down portions of 20 national roads in Southern Luzon, Eastern Visayas". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
