MANILA, Philippines—A new flyover connecting Bonifacio Global City (BGC) to the northbound lane of C5 Road will not only reduce traffic problems in the area, but is also expected to enhance business prospects in the booming business district.
The flyover, for the use of both public and private vehicles, was opened a few hours after the inaugural ceremonies Thursday.
Aurelio Paulo Bartolome, councilor for the second district of Taguig City, said the interchange, which starts on 32nd Street and ends before the elevated U-turn near the Kalayaan-C5 intersection, will help bring in more consumers to commercial establishments in the area.
“As [motorists] pass through, it is inevitable that they would come to certain retail establishments. That’s where the city benefits—by patronage created by traffic and taxes that the establishments pay us,” Bartolome told reporters at the opening of the flyover Thursday morning.
Antonio Aquino, president of Fort Bonifacio Development Corp. (FBDC), the main developer of Bonifacio Global City, said that the new link will help increase the value of properties in the area by improving access to these areas.
“Real property is a question of location, and location is enhanced by access. We’ve made efforts to connect Fort Bonifacio from Makati City via McKinley Road and the Kalayaan Flyover. This is an effort to improve connectivity with C5, contributing to the overall development of the area,” he said.
The project is touted as a public-private partnership between FBDC, for the private sector, and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, for the government. Construction of the flyover took eight months from July 2011 up to February 2012, and cost between P350 and P375 million.
The 809-meter, two-lane interchange is expected to complement Sampaguita Bridge, connecting 26th Street with C5, the main entry and exit point of vehicles going to C5 coming from Fort Bonifacio.
While vehicles coming from the southbound side of C5 can directly go to 32nd Street through the entry ramp, before the flyover, motorists plying 32nd Street would have to go around Market Market to take the Sampaguita exit to C5.
“Half of the traffic passing through 32nd Street is just passing through. With this interchange, people from the north or the east now have easier access going to C5,” Bartolome said.
Manuel Blas II, head of commercial operations for the FBDC, said they are studying the possibility of constructing more interchanges with C5 in the future.