the Kennon Road
Although Kennon is the shortest of the three major access roads, travel time is frequently as long as by the other two because of poor road conditions. It usually takes an experienced commuter from 50 minutes to an hour to negotiate the 41.2-kilometer steep and winding climb by car. The upward climb reveals a picturesque view of the mountains, lush vegetation, and pine trees as you get closer to Baguio. There are small settlements along the road, known as Camps 1 to 8 that were originally established by the original builders of the road, but have been occupied since by local residents. The Bued River flows along a rocky canyon from the lofty heights, and following this course the road was cut above the river bed. Kennon is a toll road with the lower tollgate located about 2.5 kilometers from the junction at Rosario, La Union near Camp 1. The upper toll gate is about 5 km south of Baguio City near Camp 6, Tuba, Benguet. The original road was a Macadam Telford-type road which was later improved into an all-weather asphalt roadway. More recently, some portions of Kennon Road have been replaced with concrete pavement.[2]
The construction of the road commenced in 1903 by cutting across the mountains of Benguet with the combined efforts of Filipinos, Americans, Filipino-Chinese and Japanese nationals, and was considered one of the most difficult and expensive civil engineering projects of its day, with expenditures by the newly established colonial government in excess of $2.7 million.[3] The steepest portion of the road between Camp 6 and Camp 7 in Baguio City is commonly known as "Zig-zag Road" because of the numerous switchbacks (see Hairpin turn) required. The design of the road switchbacks along that section of the road are similar in construction to the agricultural rice terraces found locally in Benguet and the other mountain provinces of the Cordillera Administrative Region. More than 2,300 foreign and local workers worked on the road. Aside from Filipino engineers and construction workers and U.S. Army Engineers headed by Col. Lyman Kennon, foreigners from 36 countries were recruited to work on the road, but most of them were Japanese. About 1,500 Japanese contract workers persevered in the difficult road project. Hundreds of workers died from malaria while more plunged to their deaths while building the road. Some of the foreign road workers remained in Baguio to live permanently after the road was completed.[1]
Kennon Road is one of the most hazardous roads in the country especially during the rainy seasons when most of the road accidents occur. The road is prone to closure due to landslides, particularly during especially heavy rains or during typhoon conditions. [4]
