Wright–Taft Road

Route 674 shield
Wright-Taft Road
N674, N1 crossing.jpg
Crossing of the Wright-Taft Highway with the Maharlika Highway seen in Paranas, Samar.
Route information
Length62 km (39 mi)
Major junctions
From N670 (Jct Taft-Oras-Sn Policarpo-Arteche Rd) in Taft, Eastern Samar
To N1 (Maharlika Highway) in Paranas
Location
CountryPhilippines
ProvincesEastern Samar, Samar
TownsTaft, Hinabangan, Paranas
Highway system
  • Roads in the Philippines
  

Wright–Taft Road is a road crossing a part of Eastern Samar and the province of Samar. Its designated route number is 674. The highway originates from an intersection with the N670 highway in Taft, Eastern Samar before entering the province of Samar and crossing the municipalities of Hinabangan and Paranas before ending in the Pan-Philippine Highway. The highway was planned in 1908, with a portion being finished in 1928. In the following decades, the road was paved and rehabilitated. Because of multiple typhoons, it has also been closed.

Route description

View of Samar Island Park from the side of the Wright-Taft Highway.

Originating from an intersection with the Jct Taft-Oras-San Policarpo-Arteche Road, the Eastern Samar portion is 30 kilometres (19 miles) in length. The road starts slightly far from downtown Taft. The road tracks southwest, entering the community of Lomatud. The road then tracks south before turning west. The road encounters multiple mountains, encountering the Loop-de-Loop Bridge, where the road turns under itself. In the Taft portion of the highway, it encounters the Danao and Lumatod Bridges. Shortly after, the road enters the Samar Island Park and eventually the province of Samar.[1][2] The Samar portion is 32 km (20 mi). For a short stretch of 9 km (5.6 mi), the highway enters the municipality of Hinabangan. It encounters Military Camp Eugenio S. Daza before entering Paranas. The road directs southwest. The road has an intersection with the San Jose de Buan Road, which leads to the municipality of San Jose de Buan. Shortly after, the road ends at the Pan-Philippine Highway in Paranas.[1][2]

History

The first mention of the highway was in 1908, during the planning and conception of the road in a report by the Government of the Philippines.[3] By 1928, a section of the road was already built.[4] In a July 1987 report, the road was reported to have been upgraded to asphalt concrete.[5] An aerial inspection of the road was conducted during a meeting of the cabinet of President Fidel Ramos in Borongan on July 12, 1996.[6] The road was included in a program for the rehabilitation of highways for fast delivery on September 1, 1996.[7] On January 6, 2020, two sections of the road in Binaloan, Taft, were closed due to landslides.[8] On June 3, 2021, a section of the road in Binaloan was closed due to the possibility of landslide from Tropical Storm Choi-wan, locally named Dante.[9] On October 5, the road was closed due to landslides by Tropical Storm Lionrock, named as Lannie.[10] On October 28, 2022, the road was closed due to possible landslides on the onslaught of Tropical Storm Nalgae, locally Paeng.[11] On March 20, 2025, half of the road were closed in Binaloan and other parts because of the possibility of landslides due to heavy rains.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b "ArcGIS Web Application". dpwh.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Wright-Taft Road" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  3. ^ Report of the Philippine Commission to the Secretary of War. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1908. p. 377.
  4. ^ Report of the Governor General of the Philippine Islands. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1928. p. 228.
  5. ^ Philippine Development. Office of the Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authority. July 1987. p. 3.
  6. ^ Cabinet to hold 10th Regional Meet in Samar. Manila Standard. July 12, 1996.
  7. ^ Intermodal transport fast-tracked for growth in Visayas. Manila Standard. September 1, 1996.
  8. ^ "DPWH still clearing road in Taft, Eastern Samar due to localized heavy rains". Department of Public Works and Highways. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  9. ^ "'Dante' leaves at least P268.5-M infra damage as of June 3". Department of Public Works and Highways. June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  10. ^ "Lannie renders road closure in region 6, 8". Department of Public Works and Highways. October 5, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  11. ^ Navarro, Dan (October 28, 2022). "Landslides, road closures affect motorists amid 'Paeng' onslaught". Daily Tribune. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  12. ^ Meniano, Sarwell (March 20, 2025). "Flooding, landslide close roads in Eastern Visayas | Philippine News Agency". Philippine News Agency. Archived from the original on March 31, 2025. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.