Flyover gives way to P15-B SMC roadwork

The government will defer the construction of the P2.7-billion Edsa-Taft flyover to give way to the Naia Expressway Phase II project to be built by conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC).

Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson believes that traffic conditions will turn from bad to worse if both projects were to proceed simultaneously.

This is also a significant concern of San Miguel, which bagged the contract to build the P15.52-billion Naia Expressway project last May 6.

“Yes [we will defer the Edsa-Taft project] to avoid traffic gridlock around the airport area. It cannot be done at the same time,” Singson said in a text message.

The Edsa-Taft project, which has been approved by President Aquino, is meant to cut motorists’ travel time by as much as half.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) hopes to start construction by July and complete it in a year, a previous report showed.

The four-lane project will start in front of the Heritage Hotel on Roxas Boulevard and will end near the Malibay Bridge in Makati City, based on information posted on the website of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

The northbound section is estimated to span 1.42 kilometers while the southbound section will be less than a kilometer, based on earlier reports.

The government is prioritizing the Naia Expressway project and expects the 7.15-kilometer elevated toll road to be completed by 2015,  in time for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which will be hosted in Manila and key cities of the country.

San Miguel, through unit Optimal Infrastructure Development, obtained the greenlight to proceed with the construction after it remitted to the DPWH on Wednesday P11 billion in cash.

The payment was about 36 times the amount offered by the only other bidder, Metro Pacific Investments Corp., and comes on top of the construction cost of the Naia Expessway extension.

It remains uncertain at this time when SMC may begin construction as the DPWH is still completing the right-of-way acquisitions for the Naia Expressway.

The conglomerate will also need to finalize its detailed engineering design before beginning construction, Singson said.

The expressway will link the Naia airport terminals with the Skyway elevated toll road and the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway. It will also have exit and entry ramps at the Entertainment City Manila casino complex.