MANILA – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) touted some of its "game-changing projects" that would help spur economic development by improving mobility.
During the hybrid post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) discussions in Pasay City on Wednesday, DPWH Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral said one of the agency's game-changing projects is the Luzon Spine Expressway Network (LSEN) under the Marcos administration's “Build Better More” program.
Once completed, she said, the LSEN would cut travel time from Ilocos to Bicol from 20 hours to 9 hours.
Cabral said part of the LSEN is the 59-km. Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) Extension that would reduce travel time from Rosario, Pangasinan to San Juan, La Union from one-and-a-half hours to 40 minutes.
"Actually we have already awarded the concession agreement to the private sector and this is going to start very soon this year," she added.
Another priority project in Central Luzon is the 22-km. Arterial Road Bypass (Plaridel) Project Phase III and the Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX) Project, she said.
"These are two projects that will connect to the eastern part of the country, between Tarlac City and Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija," she said.
Cabral, meanwhile, said the 7-km. North Luzon Expressway-South Luzon Expressway (NLEX-SLEX) Connector will decongest and bypass the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA).
This elevated expressway, which traverses the Philippine National Railways (PNR) track from Caloocan to Sta. Mesa is expected to reduce travel time between the two major thoroughfares from 2 hours to 20 minutes.
Cabral said it is "partially operational," with its Section 1 (C3, Caloocan to Espaňa, Manila) opening in March 2023 and part of Section 2 (España-Magsaysay) opening in October 2023.
Also part of the LSEN program is the 7.7-km. C5 South Link Expressway, which aims to shorten travel time between R-1 Expressway and SLEX/C5 from 40 minutes to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, Segment 2 of the CAVITEX C5 Link Sucat Interchange was inaugurated on June 21, while the construction of the SLEX-Toll Road 4 is ongoing and will cut travel time between Sto. Tomas, Batangas and Lucena, Quezon from 4 hours to 1 hour.
She also said the 44.58-km. Cavite-Laguna Expressway would reduce travel time between CAVITEX (Kawit) and SLEX (Mamplasan Interchange) from 2 hours to 35 minutes.
The project has an accomplishment rate of 61 percent and is targeted to be completed next year.
She noted that the DPWH is also prioritizing the improvement and upgrade of the country’s main transportation artery, the Maharlika Highway (N1), which spans 3,082 km.
"The highway plays a vital role in disaster response and relief efforts, as it provides a primary means of transportation for emergency personnel, supplies, and evacuees during natural disasters," she added.
The DPWH has allotted PHP95.6 billion from 2022 to 2024 for the maintenance, rehabilitation, reconstruction, upgrade, and widening of 367 bridges and 1,590 km. of road sections along the Maharlika Highway, Cabral said.
She also reported the ongoing Metro Manila Logistics Improvement Program, which involves the construction and improvement of bridges crossing the Pasig River, the Marikina River, and the Manggahan Floodway.
"This will provide alternative linkages between major thoroughfares and increase the number of usable roadways that would decongest traffic in EDSA and other major roads in Metro Manila. The Design and Build contracts for three bridges crossing Pasig River and Manggahan Floodway, namely North and South Harbor Bridge, Eastbank-Westbank Bridge 2, and Palanca-Villegas Bridge, are already in progress," she added.
Cabral also gave updates on the Inter-Island Linkage Bridge Program, which includes the "biggest and most expensive single project of DPWH" – the 32-km. Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge that would cross the Manila Bay.
"This will reduce travel time from Bataan to Cavite from 5 hours to just less than an hour once we complete this project. We have conducted a bidding for two contract packages of this very important bridge project," she added.
Cabral also cited the progress of major infrastructure projects in Mindanao.
"We are not forgetting Mindanao. We are nearly completing the Panguil Bay Bridge. We will soon open that on the latter part of this year, as well as Guicam Bridge, which was mentioned by the President during the SONA," she added.
The Panguil Bay Bridge, touted as the longest water-spanning bridge in Northern Mindanao, will connect Lanao del Norte to Misamis Occidental while the Guicam Bridge in Zamboanga Sibugay will connect the Oluntang Island to the Mindanao mainland.
Nearly 12K km. of road projects completed
The department also said nearly 12,000 km. of road projects have been completed in two years under the Marcos administration.
In a separate report, the DPWH said 11,945 km. of road projects, encompassing construction, maintenance, widening, and upgrade were completed.
The department is also working on 15,769 km. of ongoing road projects, it added.
Of the completed road projects, the DPWH said, 4,953 km. are new bypasses, diversion roads, and missing links while preventive maintenance covered 2,524 km. rehabilitation, the upgrade of damaged paved roads accounted for 1,788 km., and road widening totaled 941 km.
Within the same period, the DPWH also reported the completion of 1,263 bridge projects – 335 national bridge widening contracts, 45 new national bridges, 204 national bridges that underwent rehabilitation or major repairs, 68 national bridge replacement projects, 202 national bridge retrofitting and strengthening projects, as well as 409 local bridge projects.
Meanwhile, some high-impact bridge projects that were already completed are the PHP714 million Cansan-Bagutari Bridge Project in Isabela (May 2023); PHP374.53 million Minanga Bridge in Isabela (June 2023); PHP530.94 million San Pedro Bridge Project in Quirino (May 2023); PHP281.68 million widening of Lumintao Bridge in Occidental Mindoro (February 2024); PHP259.41 million Buhang Flyover in Iloilo City (May 2023); PHP379.52-million Jibao-an Flyover Project in Iloilo City (January 2024); PHP195.32 million Andanan Parallel Bridge Project in Agusan del Sur (September 2023); and the PHP300.39 million C-5 Quirino Flyover in Las Piñas (March 2024). (PNA)
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