DPWH breaks ground for P458-M road widening project

The Department of Public Works and Highways broke ground for the P458-million widening of the Fort Bonifacio-Nichols Field Road Phase 1 on Monday, to improve the traffic situation along EDSA and C5.

"The Fort Bonifacio-Nichols Field Road Project, which spans 3.1 kilometers, will convert the existing four-lane road way into a six-lane highway," Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar said in an emailed statement.

"When completed, it will reduce travel time from BGC (Bonifacio Global City) to NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) by about 40 percent and accommodate additional volume of vehicles. The project is expected to decongest adjacent thoroughfares like EDSA, South Superhighway, and C5," he added.

The first phase of the project will cover the old Nichols route, from the interchange of the South Luzon Expressway to Fifth Avenue and the Manila American Cemetery Memorial.

"Kasama ito sa National Transport Policy. The idea is to ease the entry and exit out of Metro Manila and the provinces," said Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia, who was with Villar and other official during the ground breaking rites.

For his part, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno noted the need to improve roads, to ease the economic losses from the daily gridlock. "Traffic congestion costs the Philippines P2.4 billion a day and there's a need to address that," he said.

As the project is expected to improve the travel time to the airport, Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president and chief executive officer Vince Dizon said the construction should begin immediately.

"Importante na masimulan and project na ito dahil sa hirap ng kababayan natin dahil sa traffic. 'Yung mga papuntang airport, inaabot pa ng isang oras," he said.

The Duterte administration plans to spend over P8 trillion to finance the golden age of infrastructure, with P860.7 billion allocated to large-scale projects this year alone. — Jon Viktor Cabuenas/VDS, GMA News