The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is set to complete by the second quarter of 2019 the 1.8-kilometer section of Mindanao Avenue Extension from P. Dela Cruz Street to Gen. Luis Avenue in Caloocan City.
DPWH Secretary Mark VIllar, in an inspection on January 17, 2019, announced that the ongoing road project dubbed as Mindanao Avenue Extension Segment 2C is now 90% complete.
“Our target is to accomplish this section by second quarter of 2019. We are also closely coordinating with the National Housing Authority and local government units for the prompt relocation of informal settler families (ISFs) along the alignment to make the entire 8-lane road accessible soon,” Villar said.
He noted that the opening of the entire Mindanao Avenue Extension is significant as it can reduce travel time from North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) in Quezon City to northern Caloocan City.
Villar explained that the project had for years been halted by road right-of-way (RROW) issues. From 1980 to 2014, only a total of 1.4 kilometers of the road from Mindanao Avenue to P. Dela Cruz Street was completed and opened, he noted.
Since the project resumed in 2017, DPWH has acquired a chunk of RROW which resulted in the additional road section, starting with the 700-meter section from P. Dela Cruz Street to MGM Road in April 2018; and around 1.1 kilometers from MGM Road to Gen. Luis Avenue by February.
Upon completion of Segment 2C, DPWH-National Capital Region director Ador G. Canlas said, only 320 linear meters of remaining gap before P. Dela Cruz Street will be constructed, pending relocation of ISFs.
To date, DPWH said fund for the relocation has been transferred to the National Housing Authority, and housing units for the affected ISFs are already available.
