Tollways connector road bidding set this month

MANILA, Philippines—Bidding for the 13-kilometer elevated road that will link the two major expressways at the north and south of Metro Manila is set to start this month, kicking off the race for the many contracts up for grabs under the Aquino administration.

Interested parties will be given the chance to challenge the proposal of Metro Pacific Investment Corp. (MPIC) for the project in what is referred to as a “Swiss challenge,” Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson said.

“We are just finalizing the alignment for the road because that alignment will have to be shared with the proposed high-speed railway to Clark. We’ve sent it to the DoTC [Department of Transportation and Communications] for approval,” Singson said in an interview.

“Once that is approved, we will publish the terms of the contract immediately,” he said.

The project to build the so-called “connector road” was proposed by MPIC last year. The company said it was prepared to spend as much as P21 billion for the construction of the elevated tollway from Buendia in Makati to Manila’s port area in Tondo. Much of the road will pass over the Philippine National Railway (PNR) train line.