By Betheena Unite
Three road projects poised to decongest Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) will be delivered by end of the year and early 2021, the Department of Public Works and Highways vowed.
These three road and bridge projects aimed at easing traffic on the overly-congested national highway in Metro Manila are the Bonifacio Global City-Ortigas Center Link Road, Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge, and Binondo-Intramuros Bridge.
All three infrastructures cross Pasig River and are aimed to take away thousands of motorists plying key highways in the metropolis.
DPWH Undersecretary Emil Sadain, in-charge of Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations and Technical Services, said the road and bridge projects are expected for completion within the first quarter of 2021, but he said he has secured the commitment of contractors and consultants to fast-track implementation in order to accelerate project completion delivery by the end of this year.
According to the undersecretary, they occasionally conduct onsite assessment to expedite the resolution of implementation challenges at the ongoing construction of the 440-meter Sta. Monica-Lawton Bridge which is a major component of the BGC-Ortigas Center Link Road Project "considering the immediate impact to reducing traffic at EDSA and C-5, particularly along the section of Guadalupe Bridge and Bagong Ilog Bridge."
The P5.7-billion Bonifacio Global City-Ortigas Center Link Road Project that will reduce travel time between BGC and Ortigas Central Business District to 11 minutes travel time includes the rehabilitation and widening of Brixton (corner Reliance Street) to Fairlane Street and the construction of a 565-meter four-lane Lawton Avenue-Global City viaduct structure onwards to the entrance of Bonifacio Global City.
The 506-meter Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge connecting Estrella, Makati City to Barangka Drive and the 680- meter Binondo-Intramuros Bridge connecting Intramuros (at Solana Street and Riverside Drive) and Binondo (at San Fernando bridge) with a viaduct structure over Estero de Binondo are two "future iconic bridges" being built at a cost of P4.85 billion financed by a grant by the People.s Republic of China.
"Given favorable weather conditiona, our contractors are trying to double up in terms of works being done on those bridges and once all goes well, the completion time is expected to be early," Sadain said.