President Aquino and his Cabinet have addressed “some vital aspects” of Metro Manila’s traffic problem in approving two major infrastructure projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) at the marathon National Economic and Development Authority Board meeting last week.
Communications Secretary Herminio B. Coloma Jr. confirmed on Sunday that these include the Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue-Makati Avenue-Paseo de Roces vehicle-underpass project, totaling P1.271.75 billion; and the Metro Manila interchange construction project, estimated to cost P4.007 billion.
Coloma said the Makati underpass project is expected to be completed in 2016, adding that detailed engineering studies are being finalized prior to the start of project implementation before the end of 2014.
“This project aims to facilitate movement of vehicles to and from the Makati Central Business District that accounts for one of the highest volumes of vehicular traffic in the metropolis,” the Palace official said on Sunday.
He added that in Quezon City, the DPWH will also build three grade-separated inter-changes, namely, the Edsa-North Avenue-West Avenue-Mindanao Avenue interchange; the Circumferential Road 5-Greenmeadows-Calle Industria-Eastwood interchange; and the Edsa-Roosevelt Avenue-Congressional Avenue interchange.
To be started in 2015, the DPWH expects these three projects to be completed in four years,” Coloma said.