DPWH unveils comprehensive infrastructure projects to solve Metro Manila traffic

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has unveiled a various infrastructure projects, which it said, will help  solve traffic congestion in Metro Manila.

DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan highlighted the agency’s traffic decongestion plan during the Bagong Pilipinas Town Hall Meeting on Traffic Concerns convened by President Marcos on Wednesday in San Juan City.

Bonoan said the decongestion plan includes the expansion and upgrading of transportation infrastructure as well as the construction of new roads and bridges.

Among the projects cited was the completion of the mainline of the 18-kilometer Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3, which reduced travel time from Buendia to Balintawak from two hours to 15 to 20 minutes.

Bonoan added that Skyway Stage 3’s Tomas Claudio-Polytechnic University of the Philippines Sta. Mesa Section is ongoing, with 22 out of a target of 28 ramps already completed.

Three ramps are now under construction, with three more in the planning stages, Bonoan said.

The DPWH chief also mentioned the 7.7-kilometer NLEX-SLEX Connector Road as another effort that will decongest and bypass EDSA.

Bonoan said the elevated expressway, traversing mostly along the PNR rail track from Caloocan to Plaza Dilao in Manila, will reduce travel time from the South Luzon Expressway to the North Luzon Expressway from two hours to 20 minutes.

The project has already achieved a significant completion rate of 95 percent and includes three interchanges situated at C3 Road/5th Avenue in Caloocan, as well as España and Magsaysay Boulevard in Manila.

The completion of the NLEX-SLEX Connector Road Project is slated for this year.

Bonoan also emphasized the inclusion of the 32-kilometer Southeast Metro Manila Expressway (C6 Expressway, Phase I) in the DPWH's decongestion strategy.

The first phase of the C6 Expressway is expected to decrease the travel time between Bicutan and Batasan from two hours to just 30 minutes.

The DPWH chief said that the acquisition of right-of-way for the project is currently in progress.

Likewise, the C5 South Link Expressway is expected to reduce travel time from the R-1 Expressway to SLEX/C5 from 40 minutes to 10 minutes.

The expressway sections from Merville to C5/SLEX and E. Rodriguez to Merville are currently in operation.

The Public Works chief also cited Laguna Lakeshore Road Network Project-Phase I, which involves building a 51-kilometer road network along Laguna Lakeshore from Calamba to Bicutan to address the growing traffic congestion in the southern part of Metro Manila.

The detailed engineering design for the Laguna Lakeshore Road Network Project, Phase I, is 97% complete.

A loan for the construction of the project is underway with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), according to the DPWH chief.

The 44-kilometer Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) has also been underscored for its ability to cut travel time from CAVITEX in Kawit to SLEX Mamplasan in Laguna from two hours to a mere 35 minutes.

The operational stretch between SLEX Mamplasan and Silang-Aguinaldo Interchange spans a distance of 17.4 kilometers, with the remaining sections set to be finished in the upcoming year.

Bridges

The construction of new bridges crossing the Pasig River and Manggahan Floodway is also being prioritized by the Public Works Department, as stated by the DPWH chief.

The bridges are set to offer substitute connections between primary routes and augment the count of functional roadways that would alleviate traffic congestion in EDSA and other prominent thoroughfares within Metro Manila.

To date, three out of the total six bridges have been successfully finished. These include the Binondo-Intramuros Bridge, the BGC-Ortigas Center Link Road Project, and the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge.

Construction work will commence this year for the remaining three bridges as the design and build contracts are currently in progress.

The initiation of civil works for the North and South Harbor Bridges as well as the Palanca-Villegas Bridge, which will span across the Pasig River, is planned to commence either by the conclusion of this year or the beginning of 2025.

Meanwhile, the construction of the Eastbank-Westbank Bridge 2 crossing the Manggahan Floodway is set to commence in September 2024.

Bonoan, likewise, mentioned the 32-kilometer Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge across Manila Bay, which is set to be the country’s longest bridge once constructed.

“It is the biggest and single most expensive project of DPWH, which aims to reduce the travel time between Bataan and Cavite from five hours to 45 minutes, bypassing Metro Manila,” he said.

The detailed engineering design for the P219-billion bridge project in Luzon is at 97% completion, as the final approval for the design plans is currently being processed.

In particular, the rehabilitation and replacement of Guadalupe and Lambingan bridges, under the JICA-funded Metro Manila Priority Bridges Seismic Improvement Project, is set to commence this year.  

This will ensure the safety of about 365,000 motorists who traverse Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) through the Guadalupe Bridge and about 30,257 motorists that pass by the Lambingan Bridge daily.

Decongesting EDSA

Bonoan further stated that the initiative to rehabilitate the transport road and bridges along EDSA is geared toward alleviating the significant economic losses caused by traffic congestion in Metro Manila.

The project is presently being considered for incorporation into the JICA technical cooperation program for extensive road and bridge renovation, encompassing the complete rehabilitation of EDSA.

Bonoan affirmed that the DPWH has committed to the ongoing development and extensive analysis of infrastructure initiatives aimed at mitigating traffic congestion in Metro Manila while actively collaborating with diverse stakeholders.

The DPWH chief said the agency will continue to assist the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in road clearing and obstruction removal, as well as promote active transportation by developing more bike lanes and pedestrian infrastructure in coordination with the Department of Transportation.