President Aquino leads inaugural drive-through
of Plaridel Bypass Road Project in Bustos, Bulacan
BUSTOS, Bulacan) President Benigno S. Aquino III
led the inaugural drive-through to formally open the Plaridel Bypass Road
project which was constructed to decongest the traffic at the Pan-Philippine
Highway ((PPH) by 40 percent.
In a simple ceremony held in Barangay Malamig,
Bustos, Bulacan on Friday the Chief Executive on board an open-type pick up was
joined by Public Works and Highways (DPWH) staff led by Undersecretary Alfredo
G. Tolentino and other local officials.
The new bypass road, constructed by the DPWH, is
funded under a loan agreement between the Philippines and Japan through the
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The Plaridel Bypass Road Project, as envisioned,
involves a total length of 24.61 km of road, 2.40 km access road and 10
bridges. The road project traverses the municipalities of Balagtas, Guiguinto,
Plaridel, Bustos and San Rafael in Bulacan.
The project is part of the upgrading of the
Inter-Urban Highway System along the Philippine-Japan Friendship Highway (PHJL)
that will ease the serious traffic congestion in the vicinity of core urban
areas along the Maharlika Highway leading to the Cagayan Valley Road in
Bulacan.
The project is being implemented in two phases
with the first involving the construction of contract packages I and II
starting from North Luzon Expressway via a new interchange in barangay Burol,
Balagtas town.
The First Phase is composed of 14.65km road,
2.40km access road, and seven bridges that were completed by November 25, 2012
under the JICA Loan No. PH-P236.
The DPWH had started the procurement process for
the implementation of the Second Phase, composed of Contract Package 3 with a
length of 2.22 km and 1.12 km bridge, spanning Angat River; and Contract
Package 4 with a length of 7.74 km under the JICA Loan No. PH-250 signed in
March 2012.
The completion of the bypass road from Burol,
Balagtas to San Rafael, will save travel time of about 45 to 50 minutes while
the travel distance will be shortened by about five kilometers. About 15,000
vehicles will be diverted to the Plaridel Bypass, decongesting the traffic at
PPH by 40%.
With the completion of Contract Project II, the
travel time will be reduced to about 20-23 minutes using the completed sections
of the bypass road (CP 1 & CP II) with the Alejo Santos Road as access to
Pan-Philippine Highway.The towns of Balagtas, Bustos, Baliuag, Pandi, Plaridel,
San Rafael and Angat will benefit from the project.
The opening to traffic of the completed Phase I
of Plaridel Bypass (CP I and CP II) eases up the congested traffic at Plaridel
town section of Pan-Philippine Highway and creating an alternative route to
Angat, Balagtas town proper and Pandi, Bulacan (bypassing Sta. Maria town via
Bocaue exit). PND (js)
President Aquino leads inauguration of Bocaue
Bridge
President Benigno Aquino III on Friday formally
opened the Bocaue Bridge aimed at easing the traffic congestion in the area.
The President led the unveiling of the marker
and the inaugural drive-through that officially opens the bridge located along
MacArthur Highway in Barangay Biñang 2nd, Bocaue, Bulacan.
The formerly two-lane bridge was expanded into
four lanes, which aims to ensure safety and traffic convenience among motorists
of the MacArthur Highway formerly known as the Manila North Road.
During a project briefing, Public Works and
Highways Undersecretary Alfredo Tolentino said the agency was able to save P4 million
for the project due to transparency and the "tuwid na daan" policy of
the Aquino administration. The approved budget cost for the project was P61.5
million while the total contract cost was only P57.4 million.
The bridge widening and upgrading is part of the
overall improvement of the highway to address critical bottlenecks to cope with
the fast growing economic activities in the region.
Tolentino also briefed the President regarding
the Plaridel Bypass Road Project which involves a total length of 24.61
kilometer of road, 2.40 kilometer access road and 10 bridges.
The DPWH already finished the first phase of the
project, which involves the construction of contract packages 1 and 2 starting
from the North Luzon Expressway in a new interchange at Barangay Burol, town of
Balagtas with a length of 14.65 kilometers, a 2.40 kilometer access road and
seven bridges.
Tolentino said the DPWH was able to save P163
million for the project that aims to ease traffic congestion in urban areas
along the Maharlika Highway or the Cagayan Valley road in Bulacan.
“More or less po mga 40 percent ng traffic dito
madi-divert na po ngayon natin dito sa Plaridel Bypass,” he said.
He said bidding for the second phase of the
project is set on March 5 and it is expected to be completed in the first
quarter of 2016.
The second phase of the project is composed of a
10 kilometer road and a 1.12 kilometer bridge.
The entire road project traverses the
municipalities of Balagtas, Guiguinto, Plaridel, Bustos and San Rafael in
Bulacan. PND (jb)
Aquino welcomes officials of Energy Development
Corporation and Danish Vestas Wind Systems
President Benigno S. Aquino III welcomed top
officials of the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) and Danish manufacturer
Vestas Wind Systems who expressed support for the government's priority agenda
in ensuring a reliable energy supply for the country in a simple ceremony in
Malacanang on Friday.
EDC chairman and chief executive officer
Federico Lopez and Vestas president and chief executive officer Ditlev Engel
paid a courtesy call on the President at the Music Room of Malacanang Palace.
Also in attendance were Trade and Industry
Secretary Gregory Domingo and Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla.
The EDC is a pioneer in the geothermal energy
industry with more than three decades of proven business viability. It has
helped discover new ways of developing and commercializing renewable energy.
EDC aims to strengthen its position as market
leader by developing new greenfield and power generation projects.
Vestas Wind Systems A/S is a Danish
manufacturer, seller, installer, and servicer of wind turbines. The company
operates manufacturing plants in Denmark, Germany, India, Italy, Romania,
Britain, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Australia, China, and the United States.
As of 2011, Vestas wind turbines generate enough
electricity to provide for 21 million people. PND (js)
Aquino spells out major projects in Pampanga,
nearby provinces
SAN FERNANDO CITY) President Benigno S. Aquino
III spelled out Friday the completed and ongoing projects in Pampanga that were
realized through the people’s adherence to the administration’s reform agenda
for the province.
The administration brought reforms to Pampanga
in two years and nine months in power, the President said during a meeting with
Pampanga leaders held in this city.
The President reported that the 66,800 classroom
shortage is now being addressed and the government targets to solve it by December
2013. Schoolchildren have enough books and chairs today. The Department of
Education (DepEd) was able to address this concern last year.
In the province of Pampanga, the President said
the government built 1,250 classrooms for the benefit of Kapampangan students.
There is also an all-out thrust on the part of
the government to provide power to all communities in the country, the Chief
Executive said. He added that 36,000 sitios without power are now being
electrified and more than 7,200 sitios were recently connected to the grid in
an honest and prudent way.
The President noted that out of 36,000 sitios,
the government targets to power 77 sitios in Pampanga under the Sitio
Electrification program, adding that more than half of this target have already
been electrified at a cheaper price.
On infrastructure development, the President
vowed not to leave Pampanga behind stressing that once the Gapan-San
Fernando-Olongapo Road project is completed, travel time from Pampanga to
Bataan will be cut from an hour to 30 minutes.
He also said the 12-kilometer Lubao-Hermosa,
Bataan widening road project is expected to benefit tourism and commerce.
Following the opening of the Lazatin Flyover, the flow of traffic has improved
in San Fernando City.
The towns of Florida Blanca, Magalang, Lubao,
Sta Ana, Mexico, Masantol and Apalit are now benefiting from the completion of
seven farm-to-market roads built by the administration. This is in addition to
P52 million allocated for the repair and rehabilitation of five irrigation
systems to help the agriculture sector in Pampanga.
“Lahat pong ito ay gawa ng bawat Kapampangan na
nakikisagwan o nakikibahagi sa tuwid na daan. Nakamit natin ang lahat nang ito
dahil sa tiwala ng Pampanga sa tuwid na daan. At ikinagagalak ko pong ipaalam
sa mga boss naming Kapampangan na natatanaw na po natin ang katapusan ng
matagal na ninyong problema sa pagbaha,” he said.
To address flooding, President said the
government has started the Delta Phase 1 Pampanga River Project, which will strengthen
the dike system and slope protection to ensure the safety of Bulacan and
Pampanga communities.
The Delta Phase I Pampanga River Project is also
a part of the government P5 billion project—the Flood Management Master Plan
that will rehabilitate San Fernando City, Sto Tomas, and Minalin Tail Dike as
well as the Del Carmen-Balimbing creek.
The President likewise said that there is
already an ongoing project for the Kapampangans—the P2.9 billion Integrated
Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Measures in the Low-Lying
Areas of Pampanga Bay.
The first component of the project is the
dredging of more than 32-kilometer rivers of Pampanga to prevent them from
overflowing during rainy seasons, President Aquino explained.
The second part is the elevation of flood prone
areas and the transfer of schools to safer grounds to protect the structures
from ravages of floodwaters, he said. PND (as)
