Dizon wants to solve right-of-way issues that delay gov’t infra projects
Construction of the Cebu Circumferential Road is ongoing. (File photo from ANNA LAMENTILLO)
The new transport chief raised the need to cooperate with the local government units and private sector in resolving right-of-way (ROW) issues, which are the usual cause for the delay in carrying on the country’s infrastructure projects.
Transportation Secretary Vivencio Dizon, in a live streamed press conference on Friday, said addressing ROW concerns would allow the government to speed up the construction of the mass transit projects in the country.
“We have to fast-track all the ongoing projects of the past administrations and also start the projects that are in the pipeline,” he said.
This would require a “whole-of-society” approach, he said, stressing the need for all stakeholders to do their part.
Dizon cited the Metro Manila Subway and North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) system as the priority public transportation projects to decongest the traffic on the roads.
The subway project, which will benefit some 519,000 passengers a day once completed by 2028, is designed to have 17 stations linking Valenzuela and Pasay City.
The NSCR system has 35 stations spanning 28 local government units from Pampanga to Laguna. It is expected to serve more than a million passengers daily.
In addition to expansion of railways, Dizon also said that existing lines should deploy more trains to increase their daily passenger capacity.
Meanwhile, Dizon said privatizing the operations and maintenance of EDSA Busway was “the way to go” in order to improve the public transportation system.
The DOTr previously tapped the International Finance Corp. for the crafting of the project’s terms and reference for the bidding.
The P39-billion busway project is initially targeted to be turned over to the winning private sector proponent next year.
Dizon said he wanted to revisit the EDSA Greenways project as well, especially because it was already granted funding.
The mass transit walkway will be situated along Edsa in the vicinity of Balintawak, Cubao, Guadalupe and Taft Avenue.
The idea is to build a better pedestrian access to and from selected railway stations of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1, LRT 2 and Metro Rail Transit Line 3 along Edsa.
Lastly, Dizon said he would also focus on developing the Manila Bay-Pasig River-Laguna Lake (MAPALLA) Ferry System.
The project, which is undergoing a feasibility study, will be built with at least 32 ferry stations.
It will deploy 40 electric ferries that can each carry 100 to 150 passengers in a single trip.
The MAPALLA Ferry system, which is seen to provide alternative routes linking the east and west corridors of Metro Manila, is being modeled after the Chao Phraya River Ferry System in Thailand and the New York Ferry System in New York City.
