THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is allotting P750 million over the next five years to upgrade the country’s road infrastructure.
The amount is on top of the P50-billion in official development assistance earmarked for select National Capital Region (NCR) road projects.
Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson last week said the department has big infrastructure projects under its regular budget, including the P430-million C-3 (G. Araneta Avenue)/Quezon Avenue Interchange Project set to start in July; the Cavite-Laguna Expressway project connecting the coastal extension to Trece Martires, Dasmariñas, Silang to South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) in Cabuyao, Laguna; and the Tarlac-Pangasinan toll expressway to be launched in July.
For completion too are the Don Mariano Marcos Avenue Extension, construction of a flyover crossing Commonwealth Avenue, and the Mindanao Avenue Extension.
Road projects under the government’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program, on the other hand, include the Daang Hari-SLEX Link Project and Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Expressway Project Phase 2 that is under review by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and expected to be approved within the month.
The Daang Hari-SLEX Link Project is a four-kilometer, four-lane paved toll road that will pass through the New Bilibid Prison reservation connecting Bacoor, Cavite to the SLEX through Susana Heights. The 5.2-kilometer NAIA Expressway Project Phase 2 traverses Pasay and Parañaque cities and aims to improve access to NAIA.
The NLEX-SLEX Connector Project, an unsolicited proposal from Metro Pacific Tollways Development Corp, is also under the PPP. Now being negotiated with the DPWH before submission to NEDA for approval, the project calls for construction of a 13.4-kilometer, four-lane elevated expressway linking SLEX and NLEX and passing through Metro Manila, using existing Philippine National Railways alignment as its route.
