PHOTO by Kristine Sabillo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines – Expect heavy traffic in April when the construction of Skyway Stage 3 starts, but also think of the creation of new jobs, and most importantly, new roads linking southern and northern Luzon.
President Benigno Aquino III, during the project’s launch on Wednesday, said the P26.7 billion expressway will reduce travel time from Buendia to Balintawak from 2 hours to 20 minutes or less.
“Mababawasan ang traffic sa Edsa at sa iba pang pangunahing kalsada sa kalakhang Maynila, dahil madaragdagan ang kalsadang puwedeng tahakin patungo sa katimugan at hilagang bahagi ng Luzon. Tinatayang 55,000 sasakyan araw-araw ang ikaluluwag ng mga kalsadang ito,” Aquino said during the ceremony at the Buendia-end of Skyway Stage 1.
(Traffic on Edsa and other main thoroughfares in Manila will be lessened because of the additional roads motorists may use going to southern and northern parts of Luzon. The new elevated expressway is expected to reduce the volume of traffic in these roads by 55,000 vehicles a day.)
He said the project will create 6,000 jobs and another 10,000 to 20,000 indirect jobs during its construction.
“Sa inisyal pong traffic na posibleng maidulot nito, malamang po ay may mga nag-aabang na ring kritiko na kokontra at magiging negatibo sa proyektong ito. Pati po sila, mukhang mabibigyan na rin ng trabaho,” Aquino said in jest.
(It is inevitable that critics would complain and oppose the initial heavy traffic it will cause. But even they will probably be employed because of it.)
The construction of the 14.8-kilometer six-lane elevated expressway will start in April this year and end in three years’ time. However, Aquino said they are hoping that its “accelerated construction” will result in its completion by June 2016.
The President said the country will soon reap the rewards of the project in terms of saved time, money and gas.
“Sa huli, tinutumbok nito ang ating layunin: ang itaguyod ang mga daan sa Kamaynilaan bilang daluyan ng kaunlaran,” he said.
(In the end, we will achieve our objective of turning the roads of Manila into channels of prosperity.)
Meantime, he asked for the understanding of the people, saying that the large project will require adjustments to give way to its construction.
The Stage 3 project will complete the Skyway system from Alabang to Balintawak and will connect the South Luzon Expressway (Slex) and the North Luzon Expressway (Nlex).
It connects Skyway Stage 1 at Buendia, runs along Osmeña Highway, Quirino Ave. towards Plaza Dilao, continues crossing Pasig River, then cuts through at the back of SM Sta. Mesa towards G. Araneta Ave., crosses Aurora Blvd., E. Rodriguez and Quezon Ave. towards Sgt. E. Rivera then along A. Bonifacio towards Balintawak.
The access points of the expressway are at Buendia: Quirino, Nagtahan, Aurora Blvd., E. Rodriguez, Quezon Ave. Sgt. Rivera, and Balintawak.
The project will also have new features such as the “sosrobahu,” which is an Indonesian innovation that allows pierheads to be installed without closing off the roads below, and the use of “double-deck” lanes, which will reduce the right of way of Skyway through the construction of two-decks of elevated highways for north-bound and south-bound lanes.
Long overdue
Aquino said the project has been long overdue, with the plans for both the Manila North and Manila South Expressways were drafted back in the 1970s.
“Makalipas po ang mga dekada, ngayon pa lang tayo maglulunsad ng ikatlong bahagi Metro Manila Skyway na inumpisahan noong dekada 90,” he added.
After a couple of decades, it is only now that we are launching the third phase of the Metro Manila Skyway that was started in the 1990s.
The President said the reason why such plans were delayed was because the Construction and Development Corporation of the Philippines (now the Philippine National Construction Corporation or PNCC) then was still not capable of such projects.
However, Presidential Decrees 1113 and 1894 required the PNCC as a partner in such projects.
“Ang masaklap pa nito: magdugtong ka lang ng kahit isang dipang kongkreto sa orihinal na kalsada, mabibigyan ka na ng panibagong 30 taon na prangkisa nang wala nang partisipasyon o pahintulot ng Kongreso,” Aquino said.
(Worse is that even a one feet long extension of concrete on the original road will allow you to renew your 30-year franchise without the participation or approval of Congress.)
Aquino said the government instead looked for a legal solution on the issue and worked to bring together the companies concerned for the implementation of the project.
The project’s concessionaire, Citra Central Expressway Corp. (CCEC), is a joint corporation of Citra Lamtoro Gung Persada and the PNCC in partnership with San Miguel Corp.
‘Tuwid na daan’
Aquino, in his speech, again addressed his critics, saying they should not dismiss his administration’s success.
“Ito po ang daang matuwid. Hindi pinanday ng pantasya, at mas lalong hindi gawa-gawa na parang eksena sa isang pelikula—totoo at kongkretong mga proyekto ang hatid ng ating tuwid at mabuting pamamahala para sa kapakanan ng sambayanang Pilipino,” he said.
(This is the straight path. One that is not shaped by fantasy, and most importantly made-up like scenes in a movie. The straight path and good governance bring real and concrete projects for the benefit of the Filipino people.)
Other officials and businessmen who attended the ceremony were former president Fidel Ramos, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, San Miguel Corporation president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang, Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Francis Tolentino, Citra Metro Manila Tollways Corporation president and chief executive officer Shadik Wahono, CCEC director Dodik Marseno Catur Utomo, and PNCC president and CEO Luis Singson.
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