New Naia runway to affect C5, South expressway

Portions of a key highway in Metro Manila would be affected by a proposed third runway deemed crucial for decongesting air traffic at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport, senior government officials said last week.

Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson said in a text message that based on their discussions with the Department of Transportation and Communications, part of the alignment of Circumferential Road 5, or C5, would be affected by the new runway.

He said this would also include “the flyover connecting C5 across SLEx”, referring to the South Luzon Expressway, while declining to elaborate.

The new runway is a project of the DOTC, which has recently been cleared by President Aquino. The DOTC is targeting to complete the P2.4-billion runway project before Aquino’s term ends in mid-2016.

Transportation Secretary Joseph Abaya said that they were currently studying solutions to get the project off the ground.

“We have been coordinating with DPWH over the last two weeks. We will ask DOTC planning as to the resolution,” Abaya said. “I’m sure there is a way. That is what our engineers are for.”

C5 is among a few major highways in Metro Manila, linking the cities of Valenzuela, Quezon, Marikina, Pasig, Makati, Taguig and Parañaque.

It is sometimes considered an alternative to the Epifanio De Los Santos Avenue, or Edsa, in the capital district.

Abaya said they were also working on a solution to relocate some 140 residences, a figure that includes informal settlers, that would be affected by the project.

The government wants to build a third runway, which would effectively increase combined take-off and landing events by 40 percent, Abaya had said.

A crowded runway means airline operators have to spend more for fuel, while delays also carry their own economic costs. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines estimated that airlines lost at least P7 billion per year due to congestion at Naia, the Philippines’s busiest airport.

It is also a relatively quick solution, given that the proposed $10-billion international airport at Sangley Point in Cavite may not be completed before 2025, according to the Japan International Cooperation Agency, which is conducting the feasibility study.

Abaya said the new runway would measure about 2,100 meters in length, shorter than the existing 3,400-meter primary runway, but large enough to accommodate mid-range aircraft like the Airbus A320.