San Miguel breaks ground for P95-B Pasig River Expressway project

San Miguel Corp. (SMC) on Friday broke ground for the proposed 19.37-kilometer Pasig River Expressway (PAREX), days after it secured government approval for the project.

SMC president Ramon Ang, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, and Public Works Undersecretary for Planning and Private-Public Partnership (PPP) Service Maria Catalina Cabral led the groundbreaking ceremony held along the Pasig River in Pandacan, Manila, the company said.

The PAREX secured the government’s approval after Ang, Tugade, and Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) Executive Director Alvin Carullo signed the Supplemental Toll Operations Agreement (STOA) on Tuesday.

The P95-billion project, which will be fully-financed by SMC, is seen to be a six-lane elevated expressway that will run along the banks of the river, from Radial Road 10 in Manila to C-6 Road or the South East Metro Manila Expressway (SEMME) in Taguig City.

Once operational, PAREX will link the eastern and western cities of Metro Manila and will connect to the Skyway system.

Ang said PAREX will be built to accommodate more than just motor vehicles.

Once complete, it will feature a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system that will benefit commuters all over Metro Manila, who will then have a comfortable, safe, and reliable alternative to commuting anywhere in the metro, he said.

The expressway will also have dedicated bike lanes to encourage healthy, environment-friendly modes of personal transportation, as well as pedestrian walkways to encourage walking or exercise, he added.

Separate from the project itself, SMC is also undertaking a P2 billion initiative to clean up and rehabilitate the Pasig River.

Its goal is to extract some three million metric tons of silt and solid waste from the river, to improve the flow and carrying capacity of the river, in order to mitigate flooding.

With the rehabilitation project, the river itself can then be safely used again as an alternative mode of transportation, utilizing watercraft or water ferries.—AOL, GMA News