NEDA eyes 3 projects to decongest Metro Manila

MANILA, Philippines - The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is proposing three projects to decongest Metro Manila, an official said yesterday.

Rolando Tungpalan, NEDA deputy director general for investment programming, said the agency’s infrastructure committee agreed to push for the construction within this year of a bridge that would connect Ortigas Center in Pasig to Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig to reduce traffic on EDSA and C-5 Road by about 30 percent.

The BGC-Ortigas Bridge “must be done before we can retrofit Guadalupe Bridge,” he said.

The first phase of the proposed bridge would be from Sta. Monica street in Barangay Kapitolyo, Pasig to Lawton Avenue in Makati while phase two is from Lawton Avenue to the BGC viaduct, then from Shaw Boulevard to the Sta. Monica viaduct.

Strong opposition from Barangay Kapitolyo residents, who claimed building the bridge would affect traffic in their area and put their security at risk, caused the project to be shelved.

Tungpalan said it was agreed during the committee meeting that the bridge’s alignment on the Pasig side would be modified.

The committee also proposed the construction of an underpass along Gil Puyat Avenue, formerly known as Buendia, and an elevated road connecting Taft and Ayala Avenues.

The Buendia underpass project is a four-lane vehicle underpass along the inner lanes of Gil Puyat Avenue, passing through Makati Avenue and Paseo de Roxas intersections.

Tungpalan said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was ready to start the project last year but it was shelved over traffic flow concerns.

As for the elevated road, he said it is subject for further discussion with the Department of Transportation. It was deferred because of the ongoing work on the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Expressway phase two.

The project is also up for further deliberation in case the Metro Rail Transit 3 is extended to the Mall of Asia in Pasay, which is near the EDSA-Taft intersection.

Expressway done by yearend

The 9.97-kilometer NAIA Expressway project’s phase two will be done before the end of the year, DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said yesterday.

He said phase 2A – from Macapagal Boulevard and Entertainment City to NAIA Terminals 1 and 2 – is 98 percent complete and they are putting on finishing touches. Villar expects it to be finished by the third week of September.

Phase 2B – from the domestic airport to NAIA Terminals 3 and 4 – is 79 percent done and its target completion date is before Christmas.

Villar said once the expressway is completed, this would cut down the time spent going to the airport.

He said they are expecting 80,000 motorists to benefit from using the expressway.

The project is expected to provide easy access to airport terminals and interface with the South Luzon Expressway, Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway and Macapagal Boulevard. – Czeriza Valencia, Evelyn Macairan