DPWH hopes to bid out ‘rejected’ Laguna expressway-dike this year

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) hopes to bid out the Aquino government’s biggest infrastructure project, the Laguna Lakeshore Expressway Dike, toward the end of 2014 or in the first quarter of 2015.

The P152-billion, 47-kilometer expressway dike will facilitate traffic flow and mitigate flooding in the western coastal communities along Laguna Lake from Bicutan in Taguig City to Calamba and Los Baños in Laguna. 

DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson said the agency hoped to make the necessary clarification on the environmental impact of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project after it was rejected on May 29 by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board, chaired by President Benigno Aquino III.

Singson said questions over the height of the dike, the construction of water circulation, the separation between the low-lying communities and the new islands that would be created as part of the reclamation, the establishment of pumping stations, among others, were raised by the NEDA Board. He said that they have the time however to clarify the environmental and technical concerns mentioned.

The agency will give prospective bidders 5 to 6 months to prepare their offers for the DPWH’s and the Aquino administration’s biggest PPP project, Singson said. The winning bidder will construct the expressway and reclaim about 500 to 700 hectares of land.

On the other hand, Singson said the agency was also scheduled to bid out the P30-billion Central Luzon Link Expressway to improve transportation between Manila and Central Luzon by expanding the Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas corridor.

The P15-billion first phase of the project will stretch 30.7 kilometers from Tarlac to Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija, while the second phase worth P14.2 billion will span 35.7 kilometers from Cabanatuan to San Jose in Nueva Ecija. The DPWH said the project would be financed through Official Development Assistance (ODA) funds while the operation and maintenance would be under PPP.

DPWH is currently supervising the construction of 6 major road networks all over the country. These projects include the P28-billion Tarlac-Pangasinan La Union expressway (TPLEX) and the P15-billion Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) expressway of diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corporation, and the P2 billion Daang Hari-South Luzon expressway link of conglomerate Ayala Corp.oration, among others.

The Philippines hopes to raise the share of its infrastructure spending to 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2016 from the current level of 2.5% of GDP. – Rappler.com