About 1,500 kilometers of roads and some 161 bridges were built and improved all over the country under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. from July to December 2022, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported on Monday.
In a press briefing in Malacanang , DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said he presented to the President the infrastructure projects being undertaken by his department in the last six months.
“For the last six months, from July to December, the Department of Public Works and Highways, being the principal infrastructure arm of government has implemented, maintained, constructed and the improved about 1,500 kilometers of national roads and local roads all over the country,” Bonoan reported.
“And we have also undertaken the construction of about 161 bridges along national roads also and other local roads during this period, about six months, 161 important bridges,” Bonoan pointed out.
Bonoan also reported that the DPWH has undertaken 851 flood control projects in flood-prone areas in the country.
The major projects that are ready for inauguration before President Marcos’ second State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) in July are the two flagship projects financed through public-private partnership (PPP) — the NLEX-SLEX connector starting from Caloocan to the Skyway Stage III Project of San Miguel Corp, as well as a segment of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway.
Also being lined up for inauguration are the flood mitigation projects in Cagayan de Oro City, a number of road projects in Mindanao and the Central Luzon Link Project connecting Tarlac and Cabanatuan City, according to the DPWH chief.
Another major road project is the Samar Pacific Coastal Road, which is the continuation of the Samar roads in the Pacific, the DPWH chief said.
One of the significant project that will be implemented in Metro Manila, Bonoan said, is the 32-kilometer bridge that will connect Cavite and Bataan, passing through the Manila Bay.
The project, which will be ready for implementation within this year, is be composed of two big cable bridges, with one of the bridges spanning 400 meters while the other one is 900 meters, Bonoan explained as he noted there are other major bridges being lined up.
There are other bridge projects presented to the President for groundbreaking. These are the six bridges that will be built across Pasig River, which will be funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Exim Bank of China.
The President presented these Chinese-funded projects during his state visit to China last January.
Bonoan said many other projects are lined up for groundbreaking were also presented to President Marcos during Tuesday’s meeting. These include the building that houses the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, the Philippine General Hospital, the pediatric and adult’s specialty center, the Philippine Children’s Medical Center and the Philippine Cancer Center
Projects supporting the President’s food security program were also presented by the DPWH, and these include farm-to-market roads in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA). PND
