LAOAG CITY, Dec. 18 -- The alternate road going to SM Malls in Barangay Nangalisan via the Gilbert Bridge is now open, easing traffic congestion in this city this Yuletide season.

With a total budget of PHP30 million, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), through the initiative of Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, implemented the construction of the 2.7-kilometer alternate road to ease traffic congestion along Airport Avenue and the central business district.

Once fully completed, the alternate road will expand from Nangalisan to Barangay Tangid.

In a media interview on Thursday, Laoag City Mayor James Bryan Alcid said public utility vehicles could only drop passengers at the west side of the mall...