NEDA Board greenlights MRT4, road and bridge projects

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board has approved the P57.07-billion Metro Rail Transit 4 (MRT-4) and several multi-billion peso road and bridge projects.

In a statement on Wednesday, the NEDA said its board, chaired by the President, approved the MRT-4, EDSA Greenways Project, Maritime Safety Enhancement Program, Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge Project, Cebu-Mactan Bridge (4th Bridge), Coastal Road Construction Project, Davao City Coastal Bypass Road Project, Capas-Botolan Road Project, and the Panay-Guimaras-Negros (PGN) Island Bridges Project.

“These projects are the building blocks of our people’s dreams and aspirations. As such, we intend to roll out as many as we can to ease congestion and spread growth throughout the country,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said.

The MRT-4 project includes the construction of a 15.56-kilometer elevated monorail transit system from N. Domingo, Quezon City to Taytay Diversion Road - Manila East Road rotunda in Taytay, Rizal.

The P8.51-billion EDSA Greenway Project involves the enhancement of pedestrian facilities around key rail stations along EDSA, particularly Balintawak, Guadalupe, Cubao, and Taft for the first phase of the project.

It will provide safe, secure, efficient, and environment friendly mobility in public spaces available 24/7, according to NEDA.

Pernia said the EDSA Greenway project is in “line with the National Transport Policy that gives priority to transportation projects that will provide pedestrians and bikers safe and direct access to priority destinations such as housing, education, health, and business centers as well as transport modes.”

The other projects that secured the thumbs up from the NEDA Board are the following:

•    P6.25-billion Maritime Safety Enhancement Program, which involves the construction of two buoy bases, acquisition of two buoy tenders, production and maintenance of Aids to Navigation (AtoN), repair of equipment and materials and consulting services.

•    P175.7-billion Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge, seen to help cut down
  travel time and ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila as well as South Luzon and North Luzon gateway through the construction of a 32.15-km, four-lane (two lanes each direction) bridge starting from Barangay Alas-asin in Mariveles, Bataan, crossing Manila Bay and terminating in
  Barangay Timalan, Naic, Cavite. It also involves the construction of two navigation bridges, interchanges, land viaducts, turnaround facilities, special span bridge near Cavite coast, toll plaza and administration building, as well as the improvement of local existing junctions.

• P76.41-billion Cebu-Mactan Bridge (4thBridge) and Coastal Road Construction Project (New Mactan Bridge Construction Project), aims to improve the capacity of the existing road network in Cebu and facilitate faster movement of trade, people, and convenience in Metro Cebu. The project involves the construction of a 3.3-km bridge with an elevated viaduct of 3.385-km, with two lanes in each direction. It also includes the construction of a 4.9-km four-lane coastal road with a 4.751-km elevated viaduct. Interchanges will be constructed at the linkage between the two projects in Mandaue City.
   
• P5.9-billion Capas-Botolan Road Project, which involves the construction/opening of a 35.64-km road, including eight bridges with a cumulative total length of 1,612.82 linear meters between Capas and Botolan. The project aims to provide an effective and efficient transport facility that will reduce travel time and cost from Capas to Botolan and other neighbor towns and provinces, as well as serve as an access road to New Clark City.
   
• P189.53-billion Panay-Guimaras-Negros (PGN) Island Bridges Project, which involves the construction of a 32.47-km, four-lane, two sea-crossing bridges, including connecting roads and interchanges that will connect the islands of Panay, Guimaras, and Negros.
   
• P28.26-billion Davao City Coastal Bypass Road Project including Bucana Bridge. The project aims to: (a) serve as a bypass road/alternative route to the Davao-Cotabato Road and ABS-CBN Diversion Road to ease traffic congestion along busy intersections and Central Business District; and (b) disperse urbanization outside the Davao City Urban Center, which is already over-saturated because of the concentration of large-scale shopping malls and its proximity to international transportation facilities (e.g., Davao International Airport and Port of Davao). It involves the construction of an 18.21-km road with four lanes facility and a speed limit of 50 kilometers per hour (kph), from Bago Aplaya to R. Castillo.
   
• Change in Scope and Cost of the Davao City Bypass Construction Project worth P46.86 billion which aims to improve connectivity and mitigate traffic congestion in Davao City. The project involves the construction of a 45.5-km four-lane bypass road, including a 2.8-km tunnel section. This will begin from the Davao-Digos intersection of the Pan Philippine Highway at Toril, Davao City until the Davao-Agusan National Highway in Panabo City.

“The proposed change involves an additional total length of 300m, due to an increase in length of the cut and cover tunnel section, bridge section, embankments, and bored piles. There is also a change in design of the intersection with the Davao-Bukidnon Road from a flyover crossing to an at-grade road and underpass,” the NEDA said.

“There is also an increase in cost from P25.85 billion, as confirmed by the NEDA Board ad referendum on October 20, 2018, to P46.8 billion,” it said.

Lastly, the NEDA Board approved the request for Extension of Loan Validity and Implementation Period, and Increase in Cost of the Samar Pacific Coastal Road Project worth P1.13 billion.

“The project involves the construction of 11.30 km of the unpaved section of the Samar Pacific Coastal Road. It also includes the construction of three bridges with a total length of 261 linear meters,” NEDA said.

“The DPWH proposal involves a 24-month loan validity extension, an 18-month project implementation period extension, and 9.04% increase in project cost,” it said. —LDF, GMA News