By Lailany P. Gomez | Posted 5 hours
ago | manilastandardtoday.com
President Benigno Aquino III approved
a P26.5-billion deal with San Miguel Corp. and the Citra Group of Indonesia to
construct a 14.2-kilometer road that will connect the Southern Luzon Expressway
to the Northern Luzon Expressway, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio
Aguinaldo Abaya announced Friday.
The Transportation Department said the
Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 project was “expected to help decongest Edsa and
other major roads, such as Quezon Avenue, Araneta Avenue, Nagtahan and Quirino
and greatly reduce travel time from Buendia to Balintawak from the usual two
hours or more to just 15 minutes.”
“Our president is committed to build
infrastructure that will ease the worsening traffic congestion and to enhance
economic opportunities. This Skyway project will surely do both,” Abaya said,
referring to the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 project to be undertaken by Citra
Central Expressway Corp., a joint venture between San Miguel and the Citra
Group.
The Transportation Department said
under the deal, the project would be fully funded by Citra Central at an
estimated cost of P26.5 billion and would be overseen by the department and the
Toll Regulatory Board.
A 2013 report by the Japan
International Cooperation Agency estimated that around P2.4 billion worth of
economic and opportunity loss was incurred daily due to traffic congestion in
Metro Manila.
The Transportation Department said the
project would involve the construction of a mostly elevated six-lane expressway
with an approximate length of 14.2 kilometers.
“It will help reduce pollution,
provide greater comfort and safety to
the motorists and result in large savings in travel time, fuel and vehicle
maintenance costs. It will also provide around 6,000 direct jobs and an
additional indirect jobs of around 10,000 during construction,” the agency
said.
The project is estimated to be
completed in three years and preparatory and advance works may commence before
the end of this year, the agency said.
“Round-the-clock construction works is
expected by early second quarter next year,” it said.
Abaya said the first section of the
roadway from Buendia to Nagtahan might be opened for service as early 2016.
“DoTC, along with DPWH [Public Works
Department], MMDA [Metropolitan Manila Development Authority] and local
governments of Makati, Manila and Quezon City, will surely coordinate and do
their best to minimize traffic inconvenience throughout the route of the
project,” Abaya said.
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