The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported on Monday a series of road infrastructure projects that are expected to improve the traffic situation across the country.
During the pre-State of the Nation Address forum, DPWH Mark Villar said that they are targeting to open the C-5 South Link Expressway’s Segment 3A1, which is from Merville to C-5, on July 22.
The 7.7-kilometer C-5 South Link expressway is expected to cut travel time from 40 minutes to just 10 minutes once completed.
Villar also said that the Cavite-Laguna Expressway’s 10-km Mamplasan-Sta. Rosa section is targeted to be completed this month, which will reduce travel time from one and a half hours to 45 minutes.
The DPWH secretary also reported that the Pozorrubio to Rosario section of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) is expected to be completed by September and is seen to decrease travel time from Tarlac City to Rosario, La Union from three and a half hours to just one hour.
TPLEX will also be extended up to San Juan, La Union, according to Villar.
Meanwhile, the 4.1-km Tarlac section of the 30-km Central Luzon Expressway Phase 1 is set to be opened to motorists this month.
It will cut travel time from Tarlac City to Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija from 70 minutes to 20 minutes once finished, according to Villar.
He also announced that the North Luzon Expressway Harbor Link Segment 10’s 2.6-km R10 exit ramp will be opened in the first quarter of 2020.
“Travel time from Port Area will be reduced from 1.5 hours to just 10 minutes,” Villar said.
Meanwhile, Villar also reported the agency’s ongoing projects such as the 18.6-km Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3, which is seen to reduce motorists’ travel time from Buendia in Makati to Balintawak in Quezon City from two hours to 15 to 20 minutes.
The DPWH secretary also reported that the pre-construction of the 8-km NLEX-SLEX Connector Road has started and expected to reduce travel time from Clark to Calamba from three hours to one hour and 40 minutes.
Villar also mentioned that the construction of the 66.74-km Southern Luzon Expressway from Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Mayao, Quezon Province has already started. Once completed, travel time between the two areas will be cut down from three to four hours to just an hour.
The DPWH secreatary also said that they have already completed the feasibility study for the 224-km Quezon Bicol Expressway, which would cut travel time from Tayabas in Quezon to San Fernando, Camarines Sur by two hours.
Meanwhile, the Camarines Sur Expressway project is set to decrease travel time from San Fernando and Pili from 51 minutes to 11 minutes.
Under the Luzon Spine Expressway Network, a total of 888.26 kms of high-standard highways and expressways in Luzon are targeted to be implemented and constructed, according to VIllar.
The Secretary said that once these projects are completed, travel time from Ilocos to Bicol will be reduced from 20 hours to nine hours.
