THE Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said it will continue to pursue the proposed Fort Bonifacio-Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) bus rapid transit (BRT) segment of the Edsa-BRT system, saying it is targeting to complete it by 2019.
The government-owned and -controlled corporation (GOCC) is eyeing to complete their portion of the 48.6-kilometer alternative mass transit system in two years to ease traffic. BCDA said it is currently awaiting the completion of the feasibility study for the project.
Preparation for the project is already underway as BCDA gears up to expand Lawton Avenue in Taguig to accommodate the BRT system next year.
“We’ll be expanding Lawton Avenue next year because this is where BRT will be passing through for the BGC [Bonifacio Global City] to Naia route. That is BGC property, even Naia 3, so there’s no right of way issue,” newly installed BCDA President and Chair Vivencio B. Dizon told reporters in a news briefing recently.
The Fort Bonifacio to Naia route of the broader Edsa BRT system of the Department of Transportation falls under the purview of the GOCC. With the system in place, BCDA said getting to the Naia from BGC will only take 15 minutes.
The BRT involves the construction of dedicated lanes with bus ways and depots, along some 63 terminals. These lanes include one lane per direction between stations and two lanes per direction at stations.
The government said the project has an estimated cost of P 37.8 billion and will be implemented from 2017 to 2019.
The BCDA made the statement after its Chinese partner, which conducts the project’s feasibility study, came under scrutiny. The Chinese firm was found to be blacklisted by the World Bank.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the feasibility study was being touted as one of the gains of President Duterte’s state visit to China.
The company in question, China Road and Bridge Corp., according to reports, was barred by the World Bank in 2009 from participating in its projects, due to “fraudulent conduct,” while it was involved in a Filipino infrastructure project.
Dizon said the feasibility study is being done at no cost to the government, and that the MOU is not exclusive to the Chinese companies. The feasibility study was targeted for completion in March 2017.