Sunday, September 26, 2021
Saturday, September 25, 2021
Friday, September 24, 2021
Thursday, September 23, 2021
Wednesday, September 22, 2021
NLEX Connector reaches España, now half complete
The NLEX Connector is on track to finish construction by first-quarter next year as the toll road’s first five-kilometer section is now half complete, a unit of the Metro Pacific Tollways announced.
J. Luigi L. Bautista, NLEX Corp. president, and general manager said the P23 billion section running from Caloocan Interchange to España Boulevard is now 50 percent complete and will be finished by end-March 2022.
Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark A. Villar confirmed that NLEX Connector’s Manila segment is now nearly halfway done.
“We are targeting to deliver the full right-of-way (ROW) for this section by next month so we can further accelerate the project,” Villar said.
The eight-kilometer, four-lane elevated expressway that will link the North Luzon Expressway and South Luzon Expressway is a public-private partnership project between NLEX Corp. and the Department of Public Works and Highways.
Bautista said NLEX Corp. tapped new technology to hasten the construction, such as Indonesia’s Sosrobahu, which is used to launch coping beams or pierheads in certain portions of the project.
The rotating device enables the construction of expressways above existing roads with minimum disturbance to traffic, Bautista said.
“This technology will ramp up the construction progress and minimize traffic jams,” Bautista explained. “Despite the challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic, we can expect significant progress in the coming months because of this solution.”
Aside from the Sosrobahu, NLEX is also using Super T girders to expedite the construction of the infrastructure.
Super T girders are pre-stressed box girders that are widely used for bridges in Australia and New Zealand. More than 1,400 girders will be used for the entire project.
NLEX is also using the Philippine National Railway’s tracks in transporting major structural components from one site to another to speed up the construction.
The connector road will provide trucks with a 24/7 alternative route and reduce travel time between NLEX and South Luzon from two hours to 20 minutes.
While the NLEX Connector España Section is progressing, the company will start building the next 3-km elevated section between España Interchange and the vicinity of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Sta. Mesa, Manila within the year.
Once completed, the NLEX Connector will have four toll plazas and interchanges in C3 and España.
It is expected to serve 35,000 motorists daily and provide better access to Manila Ports and airports such as NAIA and Clark.
This will also enable faster transport of goods and services between Metro Manila and Luzon provinces.
https://mb.com.ph/2021/09/22/nlex-connector-espana-section-50-complete/
"March 2022 is doable if ROW is already delivered NOW as in NOW as I type this. SMV was quoted to deliver 100% ROW for Segment 1 by 31 October 2021, so need din maglevel ng papalit sa kanya.
Eh based sa updates ng infra vloggers, it's highly unlikely as there are so many establishments that needs to be demolished pa."
(March 2022 is doable if ROW is already delivered NOW as in NOW as I type this. SMV was quoted to deliver 100% ROW for Segment 1 by 31 October 2021, so we also need to level a replacement for him.
Eh based on the updates of infrastructre vloggers, it's highly unlikely as there are so many establishments that need to be demolished yet)
The forerunners to succeed Villar as the secretary of public works and highways if the build, build, build program will continue:
- Maria Catalina E. Cabral - Undersecretary for Planning, PPP and Information Management Service
Tuesday, September 21, 2021
Nat’l gov’t, private sector sign Pasig River Expressway deal
By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz
A six-lane elevated expressway traversing the length of the Pasig River will soon be built after the signing of the supplemental toll operations agreement (STOA) of the project between national government officials and partners in the private sector.
During a virtual presser on Tuesday, the STOA for the Pasig River Expressway (PAREx) was signed between Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) Executive Director Alvin Carullo, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Cathy Cabral, San Miguel President and COO Ramon Ang, and Philippine National Construction Corporation Assistant Vice President for Legal Henry Salazar.
Carullo said the PAREx will be about 19.365 kilometers long and will begin at the borders of San Nicolas and Intramuros in Manila to Taytay, Rizal, with entry and exit points placed “strategically” to connect it to other main thoroughfares in the National Capital Region (NCR).
“As part of the STOA, the project is considered an extension or linkage between Skyway Stage 3 and the C6 project,” he said.
The project, he said, includes the financing, design, construction, operation, maintenance of the toll expressway and consists of three segments.
The first 5.740-km segment will cover R10 to Skyway Stage 3 to Plaza Azul while the second 7.325-km section will stretch from Skyway Stage 3, San Juan River, to C5, and the third 6.3 km segment will be from C5 to Southeast Metro Manila Expressway, also known as C-6 Expressway.
“It has a franchise period of 30 consecutive years--commencing from the issuance of the toll operations certificate. And the construction period is for 36 consecutive months counted from the issuance of the notice to proceed with a 12-month grace period,” Carullo said.
The project cost is estimated at PHP81.527 billion with a “project reasonable rate of return” of 9.87 percent.
In a Facebook post, Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said the PAREx aims to address traffic congestion from the East to West of NCR.
“It is also set to provide a faster and alternative access to Makati, Ortigas, and Bonifacio Global City,” Tugade said.
‘First hybrid highway’
In a separate statement, Ang said the agreement would bring about the country’s first “green, hybrid highway and the future of urban transport.”
“PAREx will not only decongest traffic, it will greatly improve the way we move around Metro Manila. It will be designed to accommodate motor vehicles, a bus rapid transit system, bicycles, pedestrians, and water ferries,” Ang said.
In addition, he said his company is “fully committed” to a PHP2 billion rehabilitation initiative for the Pasig River.
“PAREx will address not only the present needs of both people and the environment but also the future needs of generations to come,” Ang said.