Kennon Road will be open to vehicles going up here starting November 29 every weekend, the Cordillera Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CRDRRMC) said.

The road will be opened every Friday from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday.

In an advisory released Tuesday, the decision to open Kennon Road every weekend is to ease the heavy traffic along Marcos Highway and the Tubao-Asin-Nagalisan Road due to the influx of tourists going to Baguio City, especially during the weekends.

“This opening will start on 29 November 2019 onwards until further notice,” the advisory said.

However, in case of inclement weather and or sudden occurrence of localized thunderstorms where landslide is imminent in the area, Kennon Road will be immediately closed upon the recommendation of the Department of Public Works and Highways, local government unit of Tuba and Tuba police.

Baguio will receive droves of tourists and their families for the 70th Fil-Am golf tournament at Camp John Hay and the Baguio Country Club. It is the biggest and longest-running golfing event in Southeast Asia, which is attended by players from as far as the United States.

Fil-Am organizers said around 1,800 players have registered for the event.

According to the public advisory, Kennon Road will only be open for those going up to Baguio, for vehicles weighing five tons and below and must only use the right side upward lane. The downward lane is devoted to vehicles of the residents in the area.

“They should remain on the lane provided to them to avoid accidents,” the advisory read.

Before the issuance of the public advisory, Kennon Road was only open to public utility vehicles plying the route and transporting residents along the 33-kilometer highway and the vehicles of the residents, which plate numbers have been earlier registered with the police.

All vehicles going down are checked and verified to ensure that they are residents living along Kennon Road.

The advisory said all vehicles must observe the 22 kilometers per hour speed limit as well as other traffic and parking rules, especially when going for a stopover at the Lion’s Head.

People in Baguio who opt to visit the Lion’s Head can do so by first getting a clearance at the police station located at the view deck in Camp 7.

“They will be allowed to pass upon surrendering a valid government-issued ID or their drivers’ license and return to retrieve it after their visit,” the advisory read.

The policy was imposed to assure that those who visit the tourist attraction would not go down as Kennon Road is only open on the way up for the public. (PNA)