Roadmap 2 to cut traffic cost in Metro
The rollout of P2.8 trillion in infrastructure projects in Metro Manila until 2035 will cut opportunity losses due to traffic congestion by about a third of the current cost of P3.5 billion a day, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said.
In a statement, the state planning agency said the Neda Board’s committee on infrastructure (Infracom) on Aug. 5 approved the results and recommendations of the follow-up survey on the Roadmap for Transport Infrastructure Development for the Greater Capital Region (Roadmap 2), which it jointly crafted with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica).
The implementation of Roadmap 2 was also endorsed for approval of the Neda Board chaired by President Duterte.
A follow-up study to the first road map released in 2014, Roadmap 2 recommended the rollout of 38 urban roads, 29 railways, 15 expressways, 14 road-based public transport projects, nine bridges and flyovers, and two traffic management projects between now and 2035.
If these projects will be implemented, transport costs in Metro Manila will go down to P2.4 billion a day.
To recall, Jica estimates released last year showed that traffic in Metro Manila now costs at least P3.5 billion in lost opportunities a day, up from P2.4 billion in 2014.
Also, the Neda said Roadmap 2 “calls for the implementation of secondary roads and suburban roads and other transport subsector strategies aligned with the proposed development of other growth centers in the north and south of Metro Manila.”
“We know that Filipinos desire greater mobility. The Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 also calls for efficiency in cities and connectivity between growth centers and lagging areas to promote growth and reduce regional disparities. This is why we are making our transport system convenient and efficient,” Neda Undersecretary Jonathan Uy said.
“With the survey results, the ‘Build, Build, Build’ program in Mega Manila is expected to be fine-tuned toward accelerating implementation timelines of ongoing infrastructure projects and identifying needed priority infrastructure projects for the long term,” the Neda said.
Public Works Secretary Mark Villar was quoted by the Neda as saying that “with the Build, Build, Build projects now underway, the public can expect a significant reduction in traffic congestion in Metro Manila as some of the projects near completion.”
The Neda said “the completion of projects under the Build, Build, Build program will drastically cut transport cost in Metro Manila to P2.13 billion per day in 2022.”
The Duterte administration’s Build, Build, Build aims to jump-start 75 “game-changing” projects worth at least P2.18 trillion, but only about a third were expected to be finished by 2022.
As of April, 46 of these projects amounting a combined P1.56 trillion were already in the implementation stage.
The Neda said 24 big-ticket projects worth P527.98 billion were under development, while five worth P84.29 billion were under review.
