The Department of Transportation (DOTr) plans to sit down with officials of the New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) to discuss the ongoing modifications to the traffic flow along the three terminals of the now privatized airport after receiving some complaints from the public regarding constriction of traffic flow caused by the extension of some of the toll exits of the NAIA Expressway affecting Terminals 1 and 2, and the ongoing renovations being undertaken by NNIC around Terminal 3.
In a briefing for the Monday Circle group that meets every other week at the Westin Manila in Ortigas Center, DOTr Assistant Secretary James Andres Melad and DOTr special consultant Alex Uy acknowledged that there have been complaints about the extension of the toll exits, particularly for Terminals 1 and 2 that have constricted public road flow and has also resulted in a longer detour to get to Terminal 1. Similarly, traffic flow has also been affected by the extensive road work currently being undertaken around Terminal 3.
Melad assured the public that what the DOTr wants to do is “to ease traffic congestion in that area. So, we have to make a review of the toll gates, the flow of traffic, the widening...in light of public complaints.”
Uy added that the DOTr also sees potential problems with the projection of traffic flow in the future...”if there should be a toll gate or there should be no toll gates...we have to get the insight of the public and the private partner, but currently we have discussions with them.”
The two officials also revealed that NNIC is already undertaking some renovations around Terminal 2 with the expansion of easement of the sidewalk near the old Nayong Pilipino and the resulting relocation of utility posts. The DOTr, Uy said, would ask the NNIC for its traffic plan around the airport terminals, explaining that there were earlier discussions and coordination, but “it is a developmental program for both – the PPP, NNIC and then the NAIA and the Skyway operator...so, I’m very sure that there is wisdom about that toll gate and we will ask that question through the Office of the Assistant Secretary for road and infrastructure.”
Melad also briefed the Monday Circle on the transport department’s flagship programs and projects, and status updates as of Dec. 31, 2024.
However, Melad explained that moving forward, the transport department faces a big hurdle this early following the more than 50 percent reduction of its requested P191 billion budget for 2025, resulting in an approved budget of just P80 billion. For the road sector alone, he said the budget cut was also more than 50 percent. As such, “we could hardly proceed with these civil works all because of the problem on the right of way issues, implementation processes, negotiations, payment of positions, not including land acquisition.”
In a separate interview with DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista, he had revealed that from the original request for P20 billion for ROW payments, the approved budget was cut down to just 10 percent or P2 billion.
Melad thus warned “all because of this, we cannot one hundred percent pursue the completion of these projects from the appropriated budget.”
Even with the budget constraints, however, the DOTr continues to proceed with the implementation of key projects such as its Active Transport program that aims to embed active mobility in the country’s transportation system. This program has an allotted budget of P4.5 billion covering 1,197 kilometers, of which as of Dec. 321, 2024, 74 percent of 887 kilometers have been completed.
The Active Transport program, among others, encourage the use of non-motorized vehicles as a healthier and more environmentally friendly form of transportation by providing safe and convenient options, such as improved bicycle lanes. It also aims to reduce carbon emissions in metropolitan areas, as well as significantly improve overall public health and safety through the presence of upgraded bike and pedestrian facilities.
The program also involves the upgrade of Active Transport infrastructure, maintenance of and establishment of Active Transport infrastructure such as repair stations, construction of end-of-trip facilities such as bike parking and shed, bike showers, and changing rooms and public transport stops.
Then there is the almost P29 billion, 17 kilometer Cebu Bus Rapid Transit project that runs from Bulacao and the South Road Properties (SRP) through Mambaling up to the IT Park with 22 bus terminals and one depot. It is expected to accommodate up to 116,000 passengers a day on its first year of operation, but is projected to serve up to 164,000 passengers a day upon full operation. It has funding support from the World Bank and the French government. First partial operation is expected this month, with the second partial operation by the first quarter of 2027.
Two projects that the DOTr is hoping to bid out by this year is the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project and the EDSA Greenways Project Phase 1.
Melad is more optimistic about the P8.8 billion EDSA Greenways Project Phase 1 which has foreign funding support from the Asian Development Bank. The transportation department hopes to bid out the project within the first quarter and award it by the last quarter of this year. The project is a transit-oriented development type of greenway that aims to connect pedestrian networks to the identified train stations along EDSA.
Phase 1 of the project focuses on the Balintawak, Cubao, Guadalupe and Taft stations. The project will replace, widen and construct a total of five kilometers of elevated walkway across the four train locations, with an average width of four meters to accommodate the pedestrian demand forecast for the year 2050, and a height clearance of 5.33 meters.
For accessibility, an elevator and set staircases are provided at almost every entry point to cater to the elderly, pregnant women, PWD and people traveling with children. At grade improvements such as footpath widening will also be introduced. An estimated 1,225,649 pedestrians per day will use the footbridge network, while the number of footpath users will decrease.
And then there is the EDSA Busway Project, which is a joint undertaking of the DOTr, the Metro Manila Development Authority and the Department of Public Works and Highways. The project features the use of a dedicated median lane for buses with stations built at the median island, allowing for more efficient travel by avoiding conflict with connecting streets, driveways, commercial centers and curbside drop-off points.
With a dedicated median bus lane, the EDSA Busway system is expected to reduce the interruptions in the bus service thereby reducing the travel time from Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange to Monumento from the current two to three hours to just one hour and 30 minutes, resulting in a more efficient bus service in the city’s major thoroughfare by reducing the number of buses plying the route.
It was also explained that one concept they are still carefully studying for the EDSA Busway is for the allowance of two-way traffic.
The DOTr officials revealed that the terms of rteference are still being completed but this early, a number of big conglomerates have expressed interest in the project, and even bus firms from the Visayas, such as the Yanzon family-owned Ceres Bus group, expressing interest in bidding for the project. The Saavedra-led Megawide Group had been the first to offer the government on the project, but it was decided to subject it to a bidding process.
The DOTr officials also acknowledged the difficulty in bidding out such projects and the necessity of securing the cooperation of local government units – up to the barangay level, which can delay such key projects.
Melad could, thus, not help but express his admiration for the Cavite provincial government in facilitating its own Cavite BRT project that was awarded to the Megawide Group and that is now expected to be operational as quickly as September this year.