THE detour road in Barangay Palacapao, Quezon, which links the highway between Cagayan de Oro, Bukidnon, and Davao, remains closed to all traffic as of Tuesday, following a scheduled shutdown on Sunday, Jan. 4.
Lyle Justin Egay, the Quezon town information officer, said the Municipal Safety Office received notice from the highway contractor that the route was closed at 4 a.m. Sunday to allow crews to finish constructing a culvert across the four-lane road.
Egay noted that while work is ongoing, the contractor has not yet specified exactly when the detour will be passable again for vehicles.
Novie Cabrido, spokesperson for the Department of Public Works and Highways-Northern Mindanao (DPWH-10), explained that the road had been temporarily opened for Christmas and New Year’s Day.
This was done at the request of Quezon Mayor Pablo ‘Poling’ Lorenzo to ease travel burdens for the public heading home for the holidays.
According to Cabrido, the 460-meter gravel detour was accessible to all vehicles — including buses and heavy container trucks — from Christmas Day through Saturday, Jan. 3.
While the town information officer awaits a specific timeline from the contractor, Cabrido stated that the four-lane detour in Sitio Kipolo, Barangay Palacapao, is scheduled to open by the second week of January 2026.
