Published : Friday, April 27, 2012
13:34
Written by : ROSALIE C. PERIABRAS
REPORTER
[ manilatimes.net ]
Transportation Secretary Manuel “Mar”
Roxas 2nd announced on Thursday that the P60-billion Light Rail Transit-1 (LRT-1)
Cavite Extension was approved by the National Economic and Development
Authority in March and is set for bidding in the first week of May.
Roxas said that the construction of
the tracks, the stations and all its attendant facilities worth about P30 billion
would be bidded out. The other half of the P60-billion project, which includes
the purchase of the coaches, will be borne by the government through money
funded via Official Development Assistance (ODA), which has lower interest
rates over local private financing.
Commenting on the recent partnership
of conglomerates Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific Investment Corp. to jointly
participate in government infrastructure projects, Roxas said: “Any expression
of interest, particularly by people possessing these qualifications is always
welcome.”
“We want companies with huge
capitalization, who have a good track record of delivering large infrastructure
projects, who clearly have access to the [latest] technology, manpower,
management and all the skills necessary to successfully deliver all of these
projects,” he said.
Roxas added that the government wants
to avoid or minimize participation of ‘flippers’, or companies that bid low on
a contract, then sell it to some other groups without the necessary expertise
to implement the project. This ploy only delays a project and badly affects its
delivery.
The Cavite Extension project will
extend the existing 20.7-kilometer LRT-1, which runs from Roosevelt Avenue in
Quezon City to Baclaran in Parañaque City, by adding 11.7 kilometers of rail
heading toward Bacoor, Cavite.
Eight passenger stations, with a
provision for two additional stations, one satellite depot and three intermodal
facilities are part of the project. The passenger stations will tentatively be
constructed in the following areas: Redemptorist Station in Redemptorist Road
near Roxas Boulevard; MIA Station near the Coastal Mall also along Roxas
Boulevard; Asia World Station near Asia World Development also in Roxas
Boulevard; Ninoy Aquino Station on the east side of Ninoy Aquino Bridge over
the Parañaque River; Dr. Santos Station, south of Dr. Santos Road; Las Piñas
Station, east of Quirino Avenue and south of Las Piñas River; Zapote Station,
north of the Alabang-Zapote flyover; and Niyog Station, south of the Niyog Road
bypass and Aguinaldo Highway intersection.
Two provisional stations in Manuyo Uno
in Las Piñas City and Talaba in Cavite, are also being proposed.
Once complete, the new line will
increase ridership of the LRT-1 from 500,000 passengers to 700,000 passengers a
day. It will provide faster and more convenient alternative mode of transport
for residents of Cavite, Las Piñas and Parañaque.
The construction will be divided into
two phases—from Baclaran to Dr. Santos Avenue (Phase 1A) and from Dr. Santos
Avenue to Niyog Station (Phase 1B).
“We expect half the work to be
completed by late 2014 and the other half by late 2015,” Roxas said.
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