The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is expecting bids today for its P4-billion Integrated Transport System (ITS) south terminal project, aimed at easing traffic in Metro Manila.
The ITS is designed to create intermodal hubs, where provincial buses would disembark passengers for transfer to other in-city modes of transport such as elevated railways, city buses, and UV Express vans.
The ITS-South will be located near the Food Terminal Inc. compound in Taguig. It is the second ITS project rolled out by the Aquino administration since the ITS-Southwest, located near the Manila-Cavite Expressway, which was awarded this year to a consortium led by Megawide Construction Corp. and Henry Sy’s Walter Mart Group.
Four local firms have submitted their pre-qualification documents for the south terminal, namely Megawide Construction Corp., Ayala Land Inc., Datem Inc., and Filinvest. The winning bidder will take care of the design, construction, and operations and maintenance of the terminal for a concession period of 35 years.
“This project will enable commuters to have seamless transfers from one mode of transport to another,” Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said in a statement.
“Creating a central terminal for all types of public transportation will not only give access to our daily commuters, but also help those who are unfamiliar with PUV routes and services,” he added.
The ITS-South project covers the construction of a terminal within a 4.7-hectare lot along FTI Compound, Taguig. It will connect passengers coming from the south, specifically the Batangas and Laguna areas, to other Public Utility Vehicles that are serving inner Metro Manila.
The project also covers the construction of arrival and departure bays, public information systems, ticketing and baggage facilities and park-ride facilities.
The DOTC aims to award the project in the third quarter this year in order to begin construction by the second quarter of 2016. The terminal is set to open in December 2017.
The DOTC is also planning to roll out a third ITS project, which will likely be located at the Veterans Memorial Hospital and Golf Course in Quezon City, Abaya had said. Miguel R. Camus