NIGHT OWL
Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo
The Plaridel Bypass Road project, a new arterial road traversing the municipalities of Balagtas, Guiguinto, Plaridel, Bustos, and San Rafael in the province of Bulacan has been opened.
DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar, Minister Keiichi Ishii of the government of Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism, Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain and Japanese Ambassador Koji Haneda inaugurated the opening of the two lane project which bypassed the perennial traffic congestion at the core urban areas along Philippines-Japan Friendship Highway also called Maharlika Highway road section from Plaridel, Pulilan, and Baliuag to San Rafael.
Shortening travel time to and from North Luzon Expressway via a new interchange at Brgy. Burol 2nd, Balagtas to the Philippines-Japan Friendship Highway in Brgy. Maasim, San Rafael, Bulacan, the infrastructure project is expected to accommodate 15,000 vehicles per day and cut travel time between NLEX-Balagtas to Maharlika Highway in San Rafael by as much as 30 minutes.
Funded by the Government of the Philippines (GOP) and Government of Japan through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) financing, the Plaridel Bypass Road Project Phase II involves the construction of Contract Package 3 covering a length of 2.22 kilometers and Contract Package 4 with a length of 7.74 kilometers.
Opening of the entire Plaridel Bypass Road will facilitate a more convenient movement of goods and services to and from Metro Manila towards eastern part of Bulacan and adjacent Nueva Ecija province.
On the same day, construction of Plaridel Bypass Road Project Phase III also started — as we widen the road project from two lanes to four lanes.
Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement completed
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) also inaugurated Phase 3 of a P6.97-Billion flood control project which spans from Delpan Bridge to the lower Marikina River — from Napindan Channel to the downstream of Manggahan Floodway.
Major works in the P3.34-Billion Contract Package No. 1 include the construction and improvement of 12.43-kilometer revetments with river wall, 6.54-kilometer steel sheet pile, and 166 drainage outlets with manholes and connecting pipes along Pasig River in the cities of Manila, Makati, Mandaluyong, and Pasig.
For the P3.63-billion Contract Package No. 2, major works include the dredging of 950,000 cubic meters along the 5-kilometer Lower Marikina River, construction of dike/revetment, 1.8-kilometer steel sheet pile, drainage works with nine sluice structures, and 1,400-meter main drainage covering Pasig, Taguig, and Quezon City.
The project will decrease flood inundation by 18% equivalent to about 750 hectares, reduce flood damage by about P14.3 billion, eliminate the flooding of about 49,051 affected structures, and reduce the affected population by 200,000.