DOTr to complete 18 airport maintenance projects by July

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) aims to complete 18 airport maintenance projects and about 20 ports before President Marcos delivers his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said most of the projects that may be finished by June are aviation, road sector and maritime projects.

The projects were reported to Marcos during a sectoral meeting at Malacañang yesterday.

“We are looking at completing airport maintenance, around 18 airports in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao,” Bautista said at a press briefing.

“We also reported ports that will be completed before June, around 20 of these. And of course, road sector projects, which will include the construction of the mega bike lanes. There are more projects in the rail sector,” he added.

Contract packages for the North-South Commuter Railway and the Metro Manila Subway have also been finalized, according to Bautista.

The 147-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway will connect Clark, Pampanga and Calamba City in Laguna.

The Metro Manila Subway will have 17 stations linking Valenzuela City to Pasay, and is expected to serve more than 519,000 passengers daily once it becomes operational.

“We also reported developments as far as the completion of some railway projects such as the Metro Rail Transit-7, which we expect to be completed by June of 2025,” Bautista said.

The MRT-7 project will have 14 stations: Quezon North Avenue, Quezon Memorial Circle, University Avenue, Tandang Sora, Don Antonio, Batasan, Manggahan, Doña Carmen, Regalado, Mindanao Avenue, Quirino, Sacred Heart, Tala and San Jose del Monte.

Bautista said the extension of the Light Rail Transit 1 from Baclaran to Sucat is expected to be completed by 2024.