Transport connectivity of PH islands pushed

The National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) plans to improve transport connectivity beyond Luzon island by linking it with Visayas and Mindanao through a network of bridges, while at the same time implementing other projects that would ease traffic in Metro Manila.

Neda Undersecretary Rolando G. Tungpalan also said the state planning agency would soon conduct a feasibility study for a high-speed rail that will connect Manila and Clark.

Tungpalan said feasibility studies were also to be undertaken for projects aimed at enhancing connectivity between regions and islands, including the proposed P33.6-billion, 27.5-kilometer Cebu-Bohol link bridge; the Sorsogon-Samar bridge; the Panay (Metro Iloilo)-Guimaras-Negros (Metro Bacolod) island bridges, as well as the Leyte-Surigao bridge.

“We are pursuing infrastructure development not just to decongest Metro Manila, but promote regional development through improved connectivity, achieve inclusive growth and reduce inequalities among various places in the country,” Tungpalan said.

Besides bridge projects, the Duterte administration also wanted to fast-track the development of new and the  modernization of existing air and sea ports such as those in Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao (Sasa), General Santos City and Zamboanga.

In Mindanao, the government is also looking to connect the island’s growth centers through the proposed P128.1-billion Mindanao Railway project, which Tungpalan said would involve the construction of modern railroad tracks, operation of state-of-the-art rolling stocks and the construction of terminals in strategic areas where trading posts would likewise be established.

The railway system, which is undergoing detailed feasibility study, will traverse a series of cities and provinces to form a Mindanao-wide rail network and link itself to major ports and other gateways on the island, according to Tungpalan.

A high-standard highway was also being considered to connect Davao, General Santos and Tagum, he said.

A number of previously approved projects such as the Cebu bus rapid transit (BRT) system and the construction of the Davao City by-pass were also expected to facilitate regional development, the Neda official said.

In Metro Manila, Tungpalan said a number of projects were also to be rolled out to improve transportation in the traffic-infested metropolis.

“One is a BRT project, estimated to cost P37.8 billion, that will run along the entire Edsa corridor, specifically along Monumento to SM Mall of Asia, Ayala Avenue to World Trade Center, Ortigas Center to Bonifacio Global City and along the Naia terminals 1, 2, 3 and 4. The project entails 63 BRT stations and is expected to move around 1.6 million passengers daily,” Tungpalan said. This project that will run 48.6 kilometers has already been given the go-ahead by the Neda Board chaired by President Duterte and is expected to be completed in 2020.

Also, the Neda official said the Department of Public Works and Highways was now ready to bid out and implement a road project that would connect Ortigas Center with Bonifacio Global City through a bridge that traverses Sta. Monica, Lawton in Bonifacio Global City, and Meralco Avenue in Pasig.” Its project cost is P5.7 billion.

The Department of Transportation, meanwhile, was already in the pre-implementation stage for a P4.8-billion BRT system that would connect Manila City Hall and Quezon Memorial Circle through Quezon Avenue, with project completion eyed in 2019, Tungpalan said.

“Additionally, we are preparing the final engineering design for the C-6 Road, or the Southeast Metro Manila expressway project—a 34-kilometer toll road project that will run through FTI in Taguig City to the Batasan Complex in Quezon City. This is another initiative to decongest Edsa and C-5, costing P31.3 billion, and expected to be completed by 2021,” according to the Neda official.

Two other transportation projects in Metro Manila that were recently approved by the Neda Board include the P10.5-billion Plaridel bypass toll road and the P2.8-billion General Luis-Kaybiga-Polo-Novaliches road.