The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Wednesday rejected Senate Minority Leader Frank Drilon’s claim that the “Build, Build, Build” (BBB) program was a failure, citing numerous completed and ongoing infrastructure projects of the Duterte administration.
In a phone interview, DOTr Assistant Secretary for Communications and Commuter Affairs Goddes Hope Libiran said the list presented by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) which include 75 flagship projects were submitted back at the beginning of President Rodrigo Duterte’s term and does not reflect the evolving needs of the country.
“As you go along, you need to have an evolving list kung ano yung mga projects na sa tingin ng economic managers kailangan masimulan saka mas kailangan ng mga tao ngayon (of what projects are seen by economic managers as necessary to begin and most needed by people),” Libiran said.
Such a list, Libiran said, would naturally include projects that should be completed or started during the Duterte administration.
She added that the BBB project was beyond those initial 75 projects and that the department has already completed numerous projects with more ongoing.
“As far as the DOTr is concerned, nagde-deliver kami ng mga (we deliver) infrastructure projects. Even more than what is expected of us,” Libiran said.
For airports, Libiran said 64 projects have been completed by the DOTr and its partners, with another 133 projects ongoing.
The completed airport projects include the new passenger terminal building of the Puerto Princesa International Airport completed on May 2017, “World’s Friendliest Resort Airport” Mactan-Cebu International Airport inaugurated on June 2018, the country’s first eco airport—Bohol-Panglao International Airport—inaugurated on November 2018, among many others.
“All other domestic projects na napabayaan in the last years, natapos natin (that were neglected in previous years, we completed)—the Ormoc Airport, the Tacloban Airport, and so many other airport projects,” Libiran said.
For maritime ports, she said the DOTr has completed 243 port projects nationwide in partnership with the Philippine Ports Authority and other stakeholders.
For land terminals, she cited the completion of the country’s first land port, the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, with two more terminals in the pipeline—the Taguig City Integrated Terminal Exchange and the North Integrated Terminal Exchange.
Libiran said there are also numerous ongoing rail projects with six under construction, one rehabilitation project, and another eight in the pipeline.
The ongoing projects include the Metro Manila Subway which broke ground in Feb. 2018, the MRT-7 which was 49.22 percent complete as of October, MRT-3 rehabilitation which began in May 2019, and the Common Station for the MRT-3, MRT-7, LRT-1, and the Metro Manila subway to be completed in 2021, among others.
“Yung subway nga lang eh. ‘Di ba, when we came in, sinasabi nila diyan, drawing lang yan, hindi daw totoo. Nananaginip lang daw kami. Pero ano nangyari? Nag-groundbreaking tayo nung February (Let’s just talk about the subway. Isn’t it when we came in, they were saying this will not push through? That we were just dreaming. But what happened? We already had a groundbreaking back in Feb.),” Libiran said.
During plenary deliberations on the proposed 2020 budget on Tuesday, Drilon said the BBB project was a “dismal failure” with only nine out of 75 flagship projects under construction halfway into Duterte’s term. (PNA)
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1085890
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
QC, Manila North Tollways Corp. agree to work together to address traffic caused by NLEX C-5 Link project
By Chito Chavez
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte allayed fears of worsening traffic situation after the city government inked an agreement with the Manila North Tollways Corporation that would help alleviate the impact of the NLEX C-5 Link to the public.
Earlier, mounting complaints have bombarded local traffic authorities as portions of Congressional and Mindanao Avenues have been heavily congested amid the ongoing construction of the NLEX C-5 Link project.
Based on the agreement, Quezon City District 6 Representative Jose Christopher “Kit” Belmonte revealed that the right of way required for the project will be reduced from 90 to 60 meters.
He said the difference of 30 meters will be allocated for the in-city resettlement of those affected by the construction.
“With this proposed solution, the traffic along (Congressional Avenue and Mindanao Avenue) will be decongested dramatically, while at the same time addressing the displacement of project-affected families,” Belmonte said.
The lady mayor has established a task force to mitigate the impact of major infrastructure projects within the city.
Called Task Force Build 5, the team includes the Department of Transportation (DoTr), Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), the National Housing Authority (NHA), and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The Quezon City government also plans to construct mid- to high-rise socialized housing for the affected residents while allowing the private sector to get involved through Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
The NLEX C-5 Link, also known as Segment 8.2, will connect NLEX and C-5 through Mindanao and Republic Avenue.
The project aims to reduce travel time from Mindanao Avenue to Commonwealth from 45 to 10 minutes and will cut through seven Quezon City barangays and one barangay in Valenzuela.
Based on a census by the National Housing Authority (NHA), a total of 18,000 families will be affected by the construction, 60 percent of which are residents of Barangays Talipapa, Pasong Tamo, Culiat, and Sauyo in District 6.
https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/11/12/qc-manila-north-tollways-corp-agree-to-work-together-to-address-traffic-caused-by-nlex-c-5-link-project/
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte allayed fears of worsening traffic situation after the city government inked an agreement with the Manila North Tollways Corporation that would help alleviate the impact of the NLEX C-5 Link to the public.
Earlier, mounting complaints have bombarded local traffic authorities as portions of Congressional and Mindanao Avenues have been heavily congested amid the ongoing construction of the NLEX C-5 Link project.
Based on the agreement, Quezon City District 6 Representative Jose Christopher “Kit” Belmonte revealed that the right of way required for the project will be reduced from 90 to 60 meters.
He said the difference of 30 meters will be allocated for the in-city resettlement of those affected by the construction.
“With this proposed solution, the traffic along (Congressional Avenue and Mindanao Avenue) will be decongested dramatically, while at the same time addressing the displacement of project-affected families,” Belmonte said.
The lady mayor has established a task force to mitigate the impact of major infrastructure projects within the city.
Called Task Force Build 5, the team includes the Department of Transportation (DoTr), Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), the National Housing Authority (NHA), and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The Quezon City government also plans to construct mid- to high-rise socialized housing for the affected residents while allowing the private sector to get involved through Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
The NLEX C-5 Link, also known as Segment 8.2, will connect NLEX and C-5 through Mindanao and Republic Avenue.
The project aims to reduce travel time from Mindanao Avenue to Commonwealth from 45 to 10 minutes and will cut through seven Quezon City barangays and one barangay in Valenzuela.
Based on a census by the National Housing Authority (NHA), a total of 18,000 families will be affected by the construction, 60 percent of which are residents of Barangays Talipapa, Pasong Tamo, Culiat, and Sauyo in District 6.
https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/11/12/qc-manila-north-tollways-corp-agree-to-work-together-to-address-traffic-caused-by-nlex-c-5-link-project/
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
House panel wants in-city relocation for 18k informal settlers along QC's Segment 8.2
The National Housing Authority have made 1,000 relocation units available, but they are in Bulacan
Quezon City representatives, councilors, and other stakeholders pushed for on-site, in-city relocation for the 18,000 informal settler families (ISFs) that will be affected by the construction of the Segment 8.2.
During a hearing of the House committee on Metro Manila development on Tuesday, November 12, the North Luzon Expressway-C5 North Link project, or Segment 8.2, was discussed with regard to the issue of relocating ISFs, since the construction will affect 8 barangays in Quezon City.
The Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) said it can build around 2,500 to 9,400 units for the informal settlers, depending on the number of levels that will be built. The design has yet to be discussed with stakeholders.
When asked of their plans for the informal settlers, the National Housing Authority (NHA) said the 1,000 units they have made available for the ISFs are outside Quezon City. The units are located in Bulacan, in the municipalities of Norzagaray and Pandi.
Manila 1st District Representative and committee chairperson Manuel Lopez responded that off-city relocation has been proven to be ineffective in the past. NHA National Capital Region manager Emma Angeles said these locations were picked by ISFs themselves because they wanted houses and lots, whereas the area provided by the MPTC only allowed for mid- to high-rise buildings.
Quezon City 6th District Representative Kit Belmonte acknowledged that while some ISFs may prefer to be relocated outside the city, it is more important to allow the local government and other stakeholders to have a role in making the decisions.
Luz Savilla, representing the ISFs in Barangay Bagbag and Barangay Sauyo in Quezon City, said the families had not been provided a list of entitlements, census claims, and beneficiary selections from the NHA, as well as details of the proposed relocation site. They also asked to participate in the design of the housing.
But most importantly, they pushed for in-city relocation. "Mas mabubuhay kami sa mataas na building kaysa sa malayo," Savilla said. (We will survive better in a high-rise building than in a housing that's far away [from economic centers].)
For the Quezon City government's part, District 6 Councilor Marivic Co-Pilar asked if the funds for housing could be transferred to the city government instead. Public Works Director for Public-Private Partnership Alex Bote said the department has had no experience in doing so.
Savilla said they would prefer to have the city government handle the relocation, since their vision for in-city relocation is aligned with what the ISFs want.
Earlier, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte pushed for a township initiative that would accommodate ISFs, which will be located within the city. She also formed a task force that would address the relocation of the 18,000 informal settlers along the construction site.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/244702-house-panel-wants-city-relocation-isfs-nlex-segment-8-2
Quezon City representatives, councilors, and other stakeholders pushed for on-site, in-city relocation for the 18,000 informal settler families (ISFs) that will be affected by the construction of the Segment 8.2.
During a hearing of the House committee on Metro Manila development on Tuesday, November 12, the North Luzon Expressway-C5 North Link project, or Segment 8.2, was discussed with regard to the issue of relocating ISFs, since the construction will affect 8 barangays in Quezon City.
The Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) said it can build around 2,500 to 9,400 units for the informal settlers, depending on the number of levels that will be built. The design has yet to be discussed with stakeholders.
When asked of their plans for the informal settlers, the National Housing Authority (NHA) said the 1,000 units they have made available for the ISFs are outside Quezon City. The units are located in Bulacan, in the municipalities of Norzagaray and Pandi.
Manila 1st District Representative and committee chairperson Manuel Lopez responded that off-city relocation has been proven to be ineffective in the past. NHA National Capital Region manager Emma Angeles said these locations were picked by ISFs themselves because they wanted houses and lots, whereas the area provided by the MPTC only allowed for mid- to high-rise buildings.
Quezon City 6th District Representative Kit Belmonte acknowledged that while some ISFs may prefer to be relocated outside the city, it is more important to allow the local government and other stakeholders to have a role in making the decisions.
Luz Savilla, representing the ISFs in Barangay Bagbag and Barangay Sauyo in Quezon City, said the families had not been provided a list of entitlements, census claims, and beneficiary selections from the NHA, as well as details of the proposed relocation site. They also asked to participate in the design of the housing.
But most importantly, they pushed for in-city relocation. "Mas mabubuhay kami sa mataas na building kaysa sa malayo," Savilla said. (We will survive better in a high-rise building than in a housing that's far away [from economic centers].)
For the Quezon City government's part, District 6 Councilor Marivic Co-Pilar asked if the funds for housing could be transferred to the city government instead. Public Works Director for Public-Private Partnership Alex Bote said the department has had no experience in doing so.
Savilla said they would prefer to have the city government handle the relocation, since their vision for in-city relocation is aligned with what the ISFs want.
Earlier, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte pushed for a township initiative that would accommodate ISFs, which will be located within the city. She also formed a task force that would address the relocation of the 18,000 informal settlers along the construction site.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/244702-house-panel-wants-city-relocation-isfs-nlex-segment-8-2
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Bungled rights-of-way delaying rail works
Hail to commercial ship captain Manolo Ebora. As others bow to China’s naval piracy, he insisted as international mariner on his right of innocent passage in Panatag Shoal. Commanding a Liberian-flagged oil tanker, Ebora stuck to his straight path in Panatag waters despite three Chinese warships ordering him away. Two of them cut across his bow in attempts to head him off. But Ebora, voyaging from Thailand to China with 21 Filipino crewmen, replied that he was only passing through and in fact knew the waters to be Philippine.
Panatag, 123 miles off Luzon, is within the Philippines’ 200-mile exclusive economic zone and, 650 miles distant, well beyond China’s. Beijing illegally has been blockading it since 2012 under a bully “nine-dash line” that treats South China Sea as an internal lake. Citing the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, The Hague arbitral court outlawed Beijing’s claim in 2016. Defying world law, Chinese gunboats escort to Panatag poachers of fish, giant clams, and fan corals. China’s navy abets militia fishers in other countries’ EEZs. Manila exercised territoriality over the shoal since Spanish and American rules; the Republic allowed foreign commerce free navigation.
* * *
What do LRT-1, MRT-7, Mindanao Railway, and Metro Manila Subway have in common? All have bungled site acquisitions. Haphazardness has delayed the government’s rail works.
LRT-1’s extension from Baclaran, Metro Manila, to Bacoor, Cavite, 11.7 km, is six years late. In a ceremonial groundbreaking in Apr. 2013 the then-President famously said if it wasn’t finished in two years, then he and his transport secretary should be run over by trains. But in signing away the construction to a private consortium, transport bureaucrats overlooked a crucial detail. They had altered the original alignment and so must first acquire rights-of-way along the new one. Failing to do that by Oct. 2015, government fell in default, for which it must pay the contractor P4.5 billion, plus daily interest. “Its transaction advisor did not do homework,” recalled Engr. Rene Santiago, president at the time of the Transport Science Society of the Philippines. Government already had spent billions of pesos to expropriate land and relocate homeowners. “That was as far back as 2003-2005 when the LRT-1 extension was first planned.”
In 2016 the present Dept. of Transport inherited and continued the botched project. Several press releases till May 2019 claimed that “LRT-1 extension is full steam ahead.” Last month constructors finally prepared to lay down the pylons. Yet government had yet to acquire 18 private lots and clear obstructing water, power, and telecom lines.
MRT-7, 22 km from San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, to North Avenue-EDSA, Quezon City, is two years behind schedule. “So many right-of-way problems,” builder San Miguel Corp. president Ramon Ang told The STAR last June. “Roads are too narrow.” DOTr’s alignment foul-up moved back the completion to 2022. Worse was a nine-fold increase in acquisition price of 33.2 hectares in Del Monte for the end station-depot. Since the land revaluation affects the project cost, the National Economic and Development Authority must review it. That can take a year. Still Ang is striving to get half the rail line operating, North EDSA to Fairview, QC, by 2021.
Mindanao Railway Phase 1 – eight stations in Davao del Norte, Davao City, and Davao del Sur – was redesigned last minute. Planners shifted to twin from single track, electric from diesel power, and 102-km ground level to 100-km with elevated portions and aqueduct. Rushed realignments drew resistance from middle-class homeowners. Last Feb.’s groundbreaking was postponed indefinitely. Monteritz Classic Estates sought review of the overrun of 40 homes and 67 lots, BusinessWorld reported in May. So did South Pacific Gold and Leisure Estates of the railway cutting through the fairway and clubhouse on which residents had invested. Scoffing at property owners’ rights, DOTr said they should put development above personal concern. Earlier Maria Lourdes Monteverde, ex-president of Davao City’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, chided DOTr’s unclear project vision. Property owners were left in limbo about just compensation, so could not move on, she told MindaNews in Jan. Transport Sec. Arthur Tugade wants partial operation of Tagum-Davao City-Digos circuit by 2022, President Rody Duterte’s term end. The first rail track has yet to be laid down.
Metro Manila Subway, 15 stations over 36 km in Quezon City to Taguig, faces similar uncertainty. Work on the first three stations in QC is to start in Jan. 2020, delayed from last Feb. and this Nov. Tugade wants the three running also by 2022. Yet Usec. for rails Timothy Batan told a QC council hearing last month that lands have yet to be purchased. Only 150 of 400 lot owners have agreed to give way to the proposed depot, and only 20 percent of residential to the Tandang Sora station. Four councilors sought restoration of the original alignment of six stations beneath EDSA instead of the new route via Katipunan where five gated subdivisions lie. Councilor Winston Castelo said the original EDSA route would serve more commuters, skirt the West Valley earthquake fault, and be acceptable to home and shop owners. Less costly too: only P208 billion instead of P357 billion. Councilor Victor Ferrer Jr. worried about the subway’s continuity beyond Duterte’s tenure, as shoddy right-of-way planning could doom it.
In Parañaque residents of five villages are opposing a previously unannounced Bicutan station one km from Food Terminal Inc.-Taguig terminal. Notified only last July by DOTr consultants of expropriation, they demanded city council public hearing as required in the Local Government Code. Vice Mayor Rico Golez held a forum with Councilors Giovanni Esplana, Edwin Benzon, Viktor Sotto, and Pablo Gabriel Jr. Residents led by Barangay San Martin de Porres chairman Michael Thor Singson pointed to three nearby government lots as alternative station site. DOTr itself owns one of the lots. Its policy is to build stations as much as possible on or beside government property to minimize human dislocation. Encroachment in residential zones showed slipshod design.
* * *
Catch Sapol radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., DWIZ (882-AM).
Gotcha archives: www.philstar.com/columns/134276/gotcha
https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2019/11/06/1966302/bungled-rights-way-delaying-rail-works
Panatag, 123 miles off Luzon, is within the Philippines’ 200-mile exclusive economic zone and, 650 miles distant, well beyond China’s. Beijing illegally has been blockading it since 2012 under a bully “nine-dash line” that treats South China Sea as an internal lake. Citing the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, The Hague arbitral court outlawed Beijing’s claim in 2016. Defying world law, Chinese gunboats escort to Panatag poachers of fish, giant clams, and fan corals. China’s navy abets militia fishers in other countries’ EEZs. Manila exercised territoriality over the shoal since Spanish and American rules; the Republic allowed foreign commerce free navigation.
* * *
What do LRT-1, MRT-7, Mindanao Railway, and Metro Manila Subway have in common? All have bungled site acquisitions. Haphazardness has delayed the government’s rail works.
LRT-1’s extension from Baclaran, Metro Manila, to Bacoor, Cavite, 11.7 km, is six years late. In a ceremonial groundbreaking in Apr. 2013 the then-President famously said if it wasn’t finished in two years, then he and his transport secretary should be run over by trains. But in signing away the construction to a private consortium, transport bureaucrats overlooked a crucial detail. They had altered the original alignment and so must first acquire rights-of-way along the new one. Failing to do that by Oct. 2015, government fell in default, for which it must pay the contractor P4.5 billion, plus daily interest. “Its transaction advisor did not do homework,” recalled Engr. Rene Santiago, president at the time of the Transport Science Society of the Philippines. Government already had spent billions of pesos to expropriate land and relocate homeowners. “That was as far back as 2003-2005 when the LRT-1 extension was first planned.”
In 2016 the present Dept. of Transport inherited and continued the botched project. Several press releases till May 2019 claimed that “LRT-1 extension is full steam ahead.” Last month constructors finally prepared to lay down the pylons. Yet government had yet to acquire 18 private lots and clear obstructing water, power, and telecom lines.
MRT-7, 22 km from San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, to North Avenue-EDSA, Quezon City, is two years behind schedule. “So many right-of-way problems,” builder San Miguel Corp. president Ramon Ang told The STAR last June. “Roads are too narrow.” DOTr’s alignment foul-up moved back the completion to 2022. Worse was a nine-fold increase in acquisition price of 33.2 hectares in Del Monte for the end station-depot. Since the land revaluation affects the project cost, the National Economic and Development Authority must review it. That can take a year. Still Ang is striving to get half the rail line operating, North EDSA to Fairview, QC, by 2021.
Mindanao Railway Phase 1 – eight stations in Davao del Norte, Davao City, and Davao del Sur – was redesigned last minute. Planners shifted to twin from single track, electric from diesel power, and 102-km ground level to 100-km with elevated portions and aqueduct. Rushed realignments drew resistance from middle-class homeowners. Last Feb.’s groundbreaking was postponed indefinitely. Monteritz Classic Estates sought review of the overrun of 40 homes and 67 lots, BusinessWorld reported in May. So did South Pacific Gold and Leisure Estates of the railway cutting through the fairway and clubhouse on which residents had invested. Scoffing at property owners’ rights, DOTr said they should put development above personal concern. Earlier Maria Lourdes Monteverde, ex-president of Davao City’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, chided DOTr’s unclear project vision. Property owners were left in limbo about just compensation, so could not move on, she told MindaNews in Jan. Transport Sec. Arthur Tugade wants partial operation of Tagum-Davao City-Digos circuit by 2022, President Rody Duterte’s term end. The first rail track has yet to be laid down.
Metro Manila Subway, 15 stations over 36 km in Quezon City to Taguig, faces similar uncertainty. Work on the first three stations in QC is to start in Jan. 2020, delayed from last Feb. and this Nov. Tugade wants the three running also by 2022. Yet Usec. for rails Timothy Batan told a QC council hearing last month that lands have yet to be purchased. Only 150 of 400 lot owners have agreed to give way to the proposed depot, and only 20 percent of residential to the Tandang Sora station. Four councilors sought restoration of the original alignment of six stations beneath EDSA instead of the new route via Katipunan where five gated subdivisions lie. Councilor Winston Castelo said the original EDSA route would serve more commuters, skirt the West Valley earthquake fault, and be acceptable to home and shop owners. Less costly too: only P208 billion instead of P357 billion. Councilor Victor Ferrer Jr. worried about the subway’s continuity beyond Duterte’s tenure, as shoddy right-of-way planning could doom it.
In Parañaque residents of five villages are opposing a previously unannounced Bicutan station one km from Food Terminal Inc.-Taguig terminal. Notified only last July by DOTr consultants of expropriation, they demanded city council public hearing as required in the Local Government Code. Vice Mayor Rico Golez held a forum with Councilors Giovanni Esplana, Edwin Benzon, Viktor Sotto, and Pablo Gabriel Jr. Residents led by Barangay San Martin de Porres chairman Michael Thor Singson pointed to three nearby government lots as alternative station site. DOTr itself owns one of the lots. Its policy is to build stations as much as possible on or beside government property to minimize human dislocation. Encroachment in residential zones showed slipshod design.
* * *
Catch Sapol radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., DWIZ (882-AM).
Gotcha archives: www.philstar.com/columns/134276/gotcha
https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2019/11/06/1966302/bungled-rights-way-delaying-rail-works
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Villar inspects NLEX Connector construction site
The construction of the integrated and all-elevated expressway connection between the North and South Luzon expressways has started, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said Tuesday.
DPWH Secretary Mark Villar inspected the NLEX Connector construction site along the Philippine National Railways tracks in Caloocan City together with officials of NLEX Corporation and construction company D.M. Consunji Inc. (DMCI).
Earlier, NLEX Corp. formally awarded the main works contract to DMCI for the first five-kilometer section of the NLEX connector road from Grace Park, Caloocan City to España Boulevard in Sampaloc, Manila.
Spanning a total of eight kilometers, the full NLEX Connector will be an all-weather, all vehicle class elevated expressway that will traverse the new Caloocan Interchange in 5th Avenue/C3 Road in Caloocan City, pass through España and eventually link up with the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 at PUP Sta. Mesa in Manila.
Villar was also present during the formal awarding of the main civil works contract to DMCI together with Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) president and chief executive officer Rodrigo E. Franco, NLEX Corporation president and general manager J. Luigi L. Bautista, NLEX Corporation chief operating officer (COO) Raul L. Ignacio, DMCI president and CEO Jorge A. Consunji, DMCI associate managing director Christopher R. Rodriguez, and DMCI senior vice president for business strategy and development, Rebecca E. Civil.
The contract covers the main civil works for the Caloocan-España section.
The NLEX Connector will continue the NLEX southward from NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 from the new Caloocan Interchange.
The project will utilize portions of the existing right-of-way (ROW) of the Philippine National Railways (PNR).
The PNR's ROW will be shared by the NLEX Connector project and the North South Commuter Railway (NSCR), currently also under construction.
Around 35,000 motorists, especially cargo trucks, who are expected to benefit from the project, will be spared using Metro Manila’s congested city roads since they will traverse their routes mostly above the PNR alignment.
Just before the awarding, Villar visited the project site and urged the fast-tracking of the turnover of the ROW.
“We are committed to accelerating the ROW acquisition in order to build traffic solutions for our motorists,” he said in a statement.
The new Caloocan Interchange will serve as a strategic converging point for the 5.65-kilometer NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10, the 2.6-kilometer R-10 section, and the eight-kilometer NLEX Connector.
Since its groundbreaking witnessed by President Rodrigo Duterte last February 28, several constructions have been achieved and the engineering works have progressed.
“Upon full completion in 2021, the NLEX Connector will significantly cut travel time from NLEX to SLEX by at least 60 percent. Instead of the usual two hours, travel time will now be reduced to about 20 minutes,” Villar said.
"Likewise, it will provide improved accessibility for cargo trucks bound for the Manila Ports (North and South Harbor) and the international airports such as NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) and Clark,” he added.
For his part, Bautista is confident that their team including their contractor, and government partners will work together to deliver high-quality elevated expressway.
“We are looking forward to provide further convenience to our motorists as the NLEX Connector aims to decongest major thoroughfares such Edsa and C5,” he said.
Aside from providing a solution to traffic congestion in Metro Manila, the NLEX Connector is also expected to stimulate economic development in Manila, Caloocan, Malabon and Navotas, as well as its surrounding areas.
The NLEX Connector is one of the first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects awarded by the Duterte administration in 2016.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1085091
DPWH Secretary Mark Villar inspected the NLEX Connector construction site along the Philippine National Railways tracks in Caloocan City together with officials of NLEX Corporation and construction company D.M. Consunji Inc. (DMCI).
Earlier, NLEX Corp. formally awarded the main works contract to DMCI for the first five-kilometer section of the NLEX connector road from Grace Park, Caloocan City to España Boulevard in Sampaloc, Manila.
Spanning a total of eight kilometers, the full NLEX Connector will be an all-weather, all vehicle class elevated expressway that will traverse the new Caloocan Interchange in 5th Avenue/C3 Road in Caloocan City, pass through España and eventually link up with the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 at PUP Sta. Mesa in Manila.
Villar was also present during the formal awarding of the main civil works contract to DMCI together with Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) president and chief executive officer Rodrigo E. Franco, NLEX Corporation president and general manager J. Luigi L. Bautista, NLEX Corporation chief operating officer (COO) Raul L. Ignacio, DMCI president and CEO Jorge A. Consunji, DMCI associate managing director Christopher R. Rodriguez, and DMCI senior vice president for business strategy and development, Rebecca E. Civil.
The contract covers the main civil works for the Caloocan-España section.
The NLEX Connector will continue the NLEX southward from NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 from the new Caloocan Interchange.
The project will utilize portions of the existing right-of-way (ROW) of the Philippine National Railways (PNR).
The PNR's ROW will be shared by the NLEX Connector project and the North South Commuter Railway (NSCR), currently also under construction.
Around 35,000 motorists, especially cargo trucks, who are expected to benefit from the project, will be spared using Metro Manila’s congested city roads since they will traverse their routes mostly above the PNR alignment.
Just before the awarding, Villar visited the project site and urged the fast-tracking of the turnover of the ROW.
“We are committed to accelerating the ROW acquisition in order to build traffic solutions for our motorists,” he said in a statement.
The new Caloocan Interchange will serve as a strategic converging point for the 5.65-kilometer NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10, the 2.6-kilometer R-10 section, and the eight-kilometer NLEX Connector.
Since its groundbreaking witnessed by President Rodrigo Duterte last February 28, several constructions have been achieved and the engineering works have progressed.
“Upon full completion in 2021, the NLEX Connector will significantly cut travel time from NLEX to SLEX by at least 60 percent. Instead of the usual two hours, travel time will now be reduced to about 20 minutes,” Villar said.
"Likewise, it will provide improved accessibility for cargo trucks bound for the Manila Ports (North and South Harbor) and the international airports such as NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) and Clark,” he added.
For his part, Bautista is confident that their team including their contractor, and government partners will work together to deliver high-quality elevated expressway.
“We are looking forward to provide further convenience to our motorists as the NLEX Connector aims to decongest major thoroughfares such Edsa and C5,” he said.
Aside from providing a solution to traffic congestion in Metro Manila, the NLEX Connector is also expected to stimulate economic development in Manila, Caloocan, Malabon and Navotas, as well as its surrounding areas.
The NLEX Connector is one of the first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects awarded by the Duterte administration in 2016.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1085091
NLEx Corp. awards P8-B Phase 1 connector road to DMCI
NLEx Corp. on Tuesday awarded to D.M. Consunji Inc. (DMCI) the first phase of an elevated toll road connecting the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) to South Luzon Expressway.
The P8-billion contract to build the first five kilometers of the NLEx Connector project was handed to DMCI during a site inspection at Grace Park in Caloocan City.
Phase 1 of the project will connect NLEx from the Caloocan Interchange to España Boulevard.
“The actual work on the ground, for the first four or five [kilometers] would be towards the end of November,” NLEx Corp. president Luigi Bautista said.
The first section of the NLEx Connector project is targeted to be completed within 20 months.
The entire elevated road project spans eight kilometers, traversing the Caloocan Interchange along 5th Avenue through to España. It will eventually link with the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Sta. Mesa, Manila.
The tender offer for the procurement process covering the second phase from España to PUP Sta. Mesa will start next month, Bautista said.
“Towards the end of March next year we should be able to appoint already a contractor for Section 2,” he said.
Section 2 is targeted to be completed in 18 months, he added.
The project will use portions of the existing right-of-way of the Philippine National Railways (PNR).
“Upon full completion in 2021, the NLEx Connector will significantly cut travel time from NLEx to SLEx by at least sixty percent. Instead of the usual two hours, travel time will now be reduced to about 20 minutes,” Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said.
“It will also provide accessibility for cargo trucks bound for Manila ports and the international airports such as NAIA and Clark,” the Cabinet official added. —VDS, GMA News
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/companies/714225/nlex-corp-awards-p8-b-phase-1-connector-road-to-dmci/story/
The P8-billion contract to build the first five kilometers of the NLEx Connector project was handed to DMCI during a site inspection at Grace Park in Caloocan City.
Phase 1 of the project will connect NLEx from the Caloocan Interchange to España Boulevard.
“The actual work on the ground, for the first four or five [kilometers] would be towards the end of November,” NLEx Corp. president Luigi Bautista said.
The first section of the NLEx Connector project is targeted to be completed within 20 months.
The entire elevated road project spans eight kilometers, traversing the Caloocan Interchange along 5th Avenue through to España. It will eventually link with the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Sta. Mesa, Manila.
The tender offer for the procurement process covering the second phase from España to PUP Sta. Mesa will start next month, Bautista said.
“Towards the end of March next year we should be able to appoint already a contractor for Section 2,” he said.
Section 2 is targeted to be completed in 18 months, he added.
The project will use portions of the existing right-of-way of the Philippine National Railways (PNR).
“Upon full completion in 2021, the NLEx Connector will significantly cut travel time from NLEx to SLEx by at least sixty percent. Instead of the usual two hours, travel time will now be reduced to about 20 minutes,” Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said.
“It will also provide accessibility for cargo trucks bound for Manila ports and the international airports such as NAIA and Clark,” the Cabinet official added. —VDS, GMA News
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/companies/714225/nlex-corp-awards-p8-b-phase-1-connector-road-to-dmci/story/
DMCI bags deal to build NLEX-SLEX link road
NLEX Corp. said it tapped D.M. Consunji Inc. to build the first section of the P23.3-billion NLEX-SLEX Connector Road Project.
NLEX president and general manager Luigi Bautista said the company appointed DMCI as the contractor for the NLEX Connector Road Project Section 1.
NLEX Section 1 is a 5-kilometer road that runs from Caloocan connecting to C3 all the way to España Boulevard in Manila.
“Next week, we will sign the contract and then the first bored pile that will be executed will be second week of November. So between today and the second week of November, DMCI will start preparing for mobilization,” Bautista said.
The project will be completed in 20 months.
The P23.3-billion NLEX-SLEX Connector Road is an eight-kilometer elevated four-lane expressway extending NLEX southward from the end of Segment 10 on C3 Road Caloocan City to PUP Sta. Mesa, Manila and connecting to Skyway Stage 3 by mostly traversing the PNR rail track.
The project includes two interchanges at C3 Road/5th Avenue in Caloocan and España in Manila.
Once completed by 2021, the project will reduce travel time from SLEX to NLEX from two hours to just 20 minutes. Some 35,000 motorists are expected to use the project.
It will also reduce the travel time from Clark in Pampaga to Calamba, Laguna from about three hours to one hour and 40 minutes.
The company earlier posted a net profit of P3.03 billion from January to June, up from P2.85 billion in the same period last year.
Consolidated net revenues increased 11 percent in the six-month period to P7.44 billion from P6.68 billion in the same period last year.
NLEX attributed the growth in net income to the higher traffic volume in NLEX and SCTEX and incremental toll revenues arising from the toll adjustments that took effect on March 21 for NLEX and June 14 for SCTEX.
Average daily traffic at NLEX reached 268,222 daily vehicle entries, up by 5.3 percent from the same period last year, while average daily traffic in SCTEX reached 70,809, higher by 12.2 percent than the previous year.
http://www.manilastandard.net/index.php/business/corporate/308606/dmci-bags-deal-to-build-nlex-slex-link-road.html
NLEX president and general manager Luigi Bautista said the company appointed DMCI as the contractor for the NLEX Connector Road Project Section 1.
NLEX Section 1 is a 5-kilometer road that runs from Caloocan connecting to C3 all the way to España Boulevard in Manila.
“Next week, we will sign the contract and then the first bored pile that will be executed will be second week of November. So between today and the second week of November, DMCI will start preparing for mobilization,” Bautista said.
The project will be completed in 20 months.
The P23.3-billion NLEX-SLEX Connector Road is an eight-kilometer elevated four-lane expressway extending NLEX southward from the end of Segment 10 on C3 Road Caloocan City to PUP Sta. Mesa, Manila and connecting to Skyway Stage 3 by mostly traversing the PNR rail track.
The project includes two interchanges at C3 Road/5th Avenue in Caloocan and España in Manila.
Once completed by 2021, the project will reduce travel time from SLEX to NLEX from two hours to just 20 minutes. Some 35,000 motorists are expected to use the project.
It will also reduce the travel time from Clark in Pampaga to Calamba, Laguna from about three hours to one hour and 40 minutes.
The company earlier posted a net profit of P3.03 billion from January to June, up from P2.85 billion in the same period last year.
Consolidated net revenues increased 11 percent in the six-month period to P7.44 billion from P6.68 billion in the same period last year.
NLEX attributed the growth in net income to the higher traffic volume in NLEX and SCTEX and incremental toll revenues arising from the toll adjustments that took effect on March 21 for NLEX and June 14 for SCTEX.
Average daily traffic at NLEX reached 268,222 daily vehicle entries, up by 5.3 percent from the same period last year, while average daily traffic in SCTEX reached 70,809, higher by 12.2 percent than the previous year.
http://www.manilastandard.net/index.php/business/corporate/308606/dmci-bags-deal-to-build-nlex-slex-link-road.html
Friday, November 1, 2019
Parañaque infrastructure projects to rise in Baclaran area
By Dhel Nazario
The P150 million Baclaran Gateway and People’s Market (BGPM) along with the LRT-1 construction of the Redemptorists Station to the existing LRT1 Baclaran Station in Parañaque City will have its groundbreaking by November, a ranking city official disclosed Thursday.
The new people’s market will be the permanent home for about 2,000 illegal Baclaran vendors who has been a problem for more than 50 years.
Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez revealed that the construction of BGPM will be funded fully by the city government after they turned-down the private-public-partnership proposal of a private construction firm for the project.
Olivarez said the multi-level people’s market building will be built on a one-hectare vacant land along Roxas Boulevard fronting the historic Redemptorists Church in Baclaran.
The mayor said the planned BGPM which will be built using 60 x 300 meters of “cement slab” placed on top of canals along the service road of Roxas Boulevard.
A loading and unloading zone, overhead pedestrian crossing, and an LRT terminal station will also be built in the area to help buyers and the vendors. Parking lots will also be constructed at the proposed market, which is expected to be in full operation by the last quarter next year.
“All of our vendors in the people’s market will be permanent and legal since they will pay their respective business permits annually. These will be an additional income for the city coffers,” Olivarez pointed out.
He said the people’s market project has the backing of President Duterte and has been approved recently by the Metro Manila Council (MMC), as well as the Metro Manila Development Authority. Olivarez is presently the president of the MMC.
While awaiting the construction of the facility, the city government will install tents along Roxas Boulevard, where the sidewalk vendors can sell their goods. Some 2,000 Baclaran vendors were recently displaced in the side walk clearing operations in the city.
City administrator Ding Soriano said the tents would provide 2 square meters of space for each vendor.
Soriano is also appealing to Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade if the other displaced vendors can be transferred to the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) for the meantime.
The facility will help the public have an easy access to the LRT 1 Cavite Extension 1 project. The P64.9-billion LRT-1 extension project will extend trips from Baclaran Station to the future Niyog Station in Bacoor City, Cavite.
Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), operator of LRT-1, said 90 percent of the right of way for the Phase 1 of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project has been acquired. The first phase of the extension consists of a 7 km stretch with five stations between the Redemptorist Church area in Baclaran and Dr. Santos Ave. in Parañaque.
Dr. Santos Station is part of the 7-kilometer Phase 1 of the 11-kilometer LRT-1 extension. Phase 1 includes 5 stations out of the total eight.
Asiaworld Station will be built right beside the PITX and eventually connected to the planned Metro Manila Subway, forming the Parañaque Common Station.
Requiring a total of 203 piers, construction of the first 67 piers started on September 1 from Dr. Santos Station to Ninoy Aquino Station. Forty piers from Ninoy Aquino Station to Asiaworld Station and 22 piers from Redemptorist Station to the existing LRT-1 Baclaran Station will begin construction next month.
The government aims for Phase 1 to begin operations in the 4th quarter of 2021. Full operations all the way to Niyog in Bacoor City, are being targeted for 2022.
https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/10/31/paranaque-infrastructure-projects-to-rise-in-baclaran-area/
The P150 million Baclaran Gateway and People’s Market (BGPM) along with the LRT-1 construction of the Redemptorists Station to the existing LRT1 Baclaran Station in Parañaque City will have its groundbreaking by November, a ranking city official disclosed Thursday.
The new people’s market will be the permanent home for about 2,000 illegal Baclaran vendors who has been a problem for more than 50 years.
Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez revealed that the construction of BGPM will be funded fully by the city government after they turned-down the private-public-partnership proposal of a private construction firm for the project.
Olivarez said the multi-level people’s market building will be built on a one-hectare vacant land along Roxas Boulevard fronting the historic Redemptorists Church in Baclaran.
The mayor said the planned BGPM which will be built using 60 x 300 meters of “cement slab” placed on top of canals along the service road of Roxas Boulevard.
A loading and unloading zone, overhead pedestrian crossing, and an LRT terminal station will also be built in the area to help buyers and the vendors. Parking lots will also be constructed at the proposed market, which is expected to be in full operation by the last quarter next year.
“All of our vendors in the people’s market will be permanent and legal since they will pay their respective business permits annually. These will be an additional income for the city coffers,” Olivarez pointed out.
He said the people’s market project has the backing of President Duterte and has been approved recently by the Metro Manila Council (MMC), as well as the Metro Manila Development Authority. Olivarez is presently the president of the MMC.
While awaiting the construction of the facility, the city government will install tents along Roxas Boulevard, where the sidewalk vendors can sell their goods. Some 2,000 Baclaran vendors were recently displaced in the side walk clearing operations in the city.
City administrator Ding Soriano said the tents would provide 2 square meters of space for each vendor.
Soriano is also appealing to Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade if the other displaced vendors can be transferred to the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) for the meantime.
The facility will help the public have an easy access to the LRT 1 Cavite Extension 1 project. The P64.9-billion LRT-1 extension project will extend trips from Baclaran Station to the future Niyog Station in Bacoor City, Cavite.
Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), operator of LRT-1, said 90 percent of the right of way for the Phase 1 of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project has been acquired. The first phase of the extension consists of a 7 km stretch with five stations between the Redemptorist Church area in Baclaran and Dr. Santos Ave. in Parañaque.
Dr. Santos Station is part of the 7-kilometer Phase 1 of the 11-kilometer LRT-1 extension. Phase 1 includes 5 stations out of the total eight.
Asiaworld Station will be built right beside the PITX and eventually connected to the planned Metro Manila Subway, forming the Parañaque Common Station.
Requiring a total of 203 piers, construction of the first 67 piers started on September 1 from Dr. Santos Station to Ninoy Aquino Station. Forty piers from Ninoy Aquino Station to Asiaworld Station and 22 piers from Redemptorist Station to the existing LRT-1 Baclaran Station will begin construction next month.
The government aims for Phase 1 to begin operations in the 4th quarter of 2021. Full operations all the way to Niyog in Bacoor City, are being targeted for 2022.
https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/10/31/paranaque-infrastructure-projects-to-rise-in-baclaran-area/
Monday, October 28, 2019
2nd NLEx-SLEx link set for construction
A second elevated expressway that will bridge the northern and southern parts of Metro Manila, the country’s congested capital district, is set to begin construction by November this year, according to its project proponent.
Luigi Bautista, president and general manager of toll road concessionaire NLEx Corp., said construction firm D.M Consunji Inc. had been selected to build the first section of the 8-kilometer “connector road.”
Bautista told reporters the first bored pile, part of the foundation of the toll road, would be installed in the second week of November.
“Between today and the second week of November, DMCI will start preparing for mobilization,” he said.
The P23.3-billion project would extend the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) in C3 Road, Caloocan City through PUP Sta. Mesa, Manila, where it would then connect to Manila’s southern toll road network that included the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx).
Travel time between the northern and southern portions of the capital district typically takes two hours or more as motorists weave through traffic-snarled streets.
Once finished, the connector road would cut the drive to about 20 minutes, the Department of Public Works and Highways said.
Bautista said the connector road project, which would mainly run above the train tracks operated by the Philippine National Railways, was divided into two sections. The first 5-km section would start from C-3 and end in España, Manila. This would take about 20 months to complete, Bautista said.
NLEx Corp. planned to launch the bidding process for the connector road’s second phase next month.
“By around February next year we would have appointed the contractor for section two,” he said. “We will open it by phases,” he added.
NLEx Corp. is a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., which operates the NLEx, Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway and the Cavite Expressway. The companies are part of infrastructure giant Metro Pacific Investments Corp., led by businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan.
The connector road project was proposed during the Arroyo administration over a decade ago but its construction was delayed throughout the term of President Aquino due to a series of reviews and policy shifts on the mode of implementation. The project held its groundbreaking ceremony on March 1 this year.
It is Metro Manila’s second NLEx-SLEx elevated expressway after San Miguel Corp.’s Skyway Stage 3, which would open during the first quarter of 2020.
https://business.inquirer.net/282111/2nd-nlex-slex-link-set-for-construction
Luigi Bautista, president and general manager of toll road concessionaire NLEx Corp., said construction firm D.M Consunji Inc. had been selected to build the first section of the 8-kilometer “connector road.”
Bautista told reporters the first bored pile, part of the foundation of the toll road, would be installed in the second week of November.
“Between today and the second week of November, DMCI will start preparing for mobilization,” he said.
The P23.3-billion project would extend the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) in C3 Road, Caloocan City through PUP Sta. Mesa, Manila, where it would then connect to Manila’s southern toll road network that included the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx).
Travel time between the northern and southern portions of the capital district typically takes two hours or more as motorists weave through traffic-snarled streets.
Once finished, the connector road would cut the drive to about 20 minutes, the Department of Public Works and Highways said.
Bautista said the connector road project, which would mainly run above the train tracks operated by the Philippine National Railways, was divided into two sections. The first 5-km section would start from C-3 and end in España, Manila. This would take about 20 months to complete, Bautista said.
NLEx Corp. planned to launch the bidding process for the connector road’s second phase next month.
“By around February next year we would have appointed the contractor for section two,” he said. “We will open it by phases,” he added.
NLEx Corp. is a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., which operates the NLEx, Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway and the Cavite Expressway. The companies are part of infrastructure giant Metro Pacific Investments Corp., led by businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan.
The connector road project was proposed during the Arroyo administration over a decade ago but its construction was delayed throughout the term of President Aquino due to a series of reviews and policy shifts on the mode of implementation. The project held its groundbreaking ceremony on March 1 this year.
It is Metro Manila’s second NLEx-SLEx elevated expressway after San Miguel Corp.’s Skyway Stage 3, which would open during the first quarter of 2020.
https://business.inquirer.net/282111/2nd-nlex-slex-link-set-for-construction
DM Consunji tapped for NLEx-SLEx connector
NLEX Corp. said the construction of the first section of the North Luzon Expressway-South Luzon Expressway (NLEx-SLEx) connector road will begin by the second week of November.
“[On the] connector road, we had a final meeting last week with the contractor, so we made final our appointment of DMCI, D.M. Consunji as the contractor for the NLEX Connector Project Section 1. Because the connector project is divided into two sections, we will start with Section 1 first,” Luigi L. Bautista, president and general manager of NLEX, told reporters on Oct. 24.
Mr. Bautista said the contract with construction giant D.M. Consunji, Inc. will be signed next week.
“Next week, we will sign the contract and then the first bored pile that will be executed will be second week of November. So between today and the second week of November, DMCI will start preparing for mobilization.”
Mr. Bautista said the construction on the NLEx-SLEx connector road will take about 20 months.
The P23.3-billion 8-kilometer toll road linking the tail of NLEx Harbor Link Segment 10 in C3 Road, Caloocan City to PUP Sta. Mesa, Manila aims to provide an alternate route for trucks coming from the port area. From Sta. Mesa, vehicles traversing the expressway may connect to the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 through an elevated road.
Mr. Bautista said the Section 1 covers five kilometers of the entire 8-kilometer project. “That’s from Caloocan connecting to C3 all the way to España, so five kilometers,” he said.
NLEX has completed preliminary works on the project after a ground-breaking ceremony held last February. Preliminary works included the ground survey, finalization of design, and clearing of roads through tree cutting and relocation of informal settlers.
The target is to open the expressway by December 2021. Once operational, it is expected to reduce travel time from NLEx to SLEx to 20 minutes from the usual two hours. It will have a capacity of 35,000 motorists daily.
“We will open by phases. For the second phase, by next month we will start the bid process to select the contractor for Section 2. So maybe by around February next year, we would have appointed also the contractor for Section 2,” Mr. Bautista said.
NLEX is part of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., the tollways unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC).
MPIC is one of three key Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT, Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Arjay L. Balinbin
https://www.bworldonline.com/dm-consunji-tapped-for-nlex-slex-connector/
“[On the] connector road, we had a final meeting last week with the contractor, so we made final our appointment of DMCI, D.M. Consunji as the contractor for the NLEX Connector Project Section 1. Because the connector project is divided into two sections, we will start with Section 1 first,” Luigi L. Bautista, president and general manager of NLEX, told reporters on Oct. 24.
Mr. Bautista said the contract with construction giant D.M. Consunji, Inc. will be signed next week.
“Next week, we will sign the contract and then the first bored pile that will be executed will be second week of November. So between today and the second week of November, DMCI will start preparing for mobilization.”
Mr. Bautista said the construction on the NLEx-SLEx connector road will take about 20 months.
The P23.3-billion 8-kilometer toll road linking the tail of NLEx Harbor Link Segment 10 in C3 Road, Caloocan City to PUP Sta. Mesa, Manila aims to provide an alternate route for trucks coming from the port area. From Sta. Mesa, vehicles traversing the expressway may connect to the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 through an elevated road.
Mr. Bautista said the Section 1 covers five kilometers of the entire 8-kilometer project. “That’s from Caloocan connecting to C3 all the way to España, so five kilometers,” he said.
NLEX has completed preliminary works on the project after a ground-breaking ceremony held last February. Preliminary works included the ground survey, finalization of design, and clearing of roads through tree cutting and relocation of informal settlers.
The target is to open the expressway by December 2021. Once operational, it is expected to reduce travel time from NLEx to SLEx to 20 minutes from the usual two hours. It will have a capacity of 35,000 motorists daily.
“We will open by phases. For the second phase, by next month we will start the bid process to select the contractor for Section 2. So maybe by around February next year, we would have appointed also the contractor for Section 2,” Mr. Bautista said.
NLEX is part of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., the tollways unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC).
MPIC is one of three key Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT, Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Arjay L. Balinbin
https://www.bworldonline.com/dm-consunji-tapped-for-nlex-slex-connector/
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