Gov’t reviews 3 major road projects

The government wants a closer look at three major road projects, including Davao City’s first expressway and a tollroad in Metro Manila that would link the cities of Manila, Makati, Pasig and Marikina. Information released by the Department of Public Works and Highways showed that its secretary, Mark Villar, had authorized the procurement of consulting services for a business case study for the 23.3-kilometer Davao City Expressway and the 26.5-km Delpan-Pasig-Marikina Expressway. The case study bidding for the Davao Expressway projects, which was estimated to cost P24.5 billion, would be held in April 2017, the DPWH said. The study for the P40-billion Delpan-Pasig-Marikina Expressway would be bid out in May. The Davao project was yet another sign that the current administration wanted to pursue big-ticket infrastructure projects in Mindanao. President Duterte served as mayor of Davao City for two decades. The DPWH said the Davao Expressway would ease congestion in Davao City, the country’s third most populous metropolitan area, by providing a key link to the Sta. Ana port. It added that about 70 percent of the expressway would be elevated. The Delpan-Pasig-Marikina Expressway would also be an elevated tollroad. It aims to provide an alternative route to the Makati City central business district. The DPWH said the project starts at the Delpan bridge in Manila. It will pass through Ayala Avenue in Makati and end on Marcos Highway in Marikina. Both projects were still in the early stage of development. Whether they were viable would be partly determined by a more detailed feasibility study moving forward. The DPWH is also seeking a business case study for a 60-km Davao to Digos Expressway, which starts at the Bukidnon-Davao National Highway in Davao City and will terminate at Digos-Sultan Kudarat Road. No proposed development cost has been identified for this project thus far. The other projects the government was studying were the 15.2-km Camarines Sur Expressway project, the 180-km Quezon Bicol Expressway, and the 22-km Batangas City-Bauan tollroad project.