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Expanded road projects in Clark near completion

By Marna Dagumboy Del Rosario

September 7, 2017, 8:34 pm

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga -- The construction of the additional 20- kilometer new road lanes as well as the widening and major rehabilitation works of four major roads here are nearing completion, in time for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Meetings set to be held in Clark this November.

In a report submitted to Clark Development Corporation (CDC) president-CEO Noel Manankil, the Construction and Management Division (CMD) of the state-owned firm said the rehabilitation of the three major highways in Clark, namely Manuel A. Roxas, Claro M. Rector and Jose Abad Santos, has attained about 90 percent completion.

CMD said the widening project is CDC’s contribution to the massive infrastructure projects of the Duterte administration under the “Build, Build, Build!” mantra.

For 2017, CDC is spending PHP1.3 billion from its internally-generated funds.

With the expected influx of investment and vehicular traffic here, CDC has earmarked some PHP409 million for the road widening and construction of drainage system affected by the expanded road networks.

Meanwhile, the additional road lanes include the 6.6 kilometers along Manuel A. Roxas Highway which was widened from two to three lanes on both sides; the 2.4 kilometers at the entire stretch of Claro M. Recto Avenue of which one lane was added on each side, including the rehabilitation of the drainage system; and the 3.5-kilometer additional lane to the entire stretch of Jose Abad Santos Avenue. All these new lanes are now passable to all types of vehicles.

CMD stated in its report that Gil Puyat Avenue, the main thoroughfare leading to Mabalacat Gate, is only passable to light vehicles due to the ongoing construction.

CMD estimated that the road being rehabilitated is halfway through the major rehabilitation for the 6.8-kilometer road. The said highway is being used by motorists coming from Mabalacat City in Pampanga and those coming from Tarlac province and other areas in Northern Luzon.

CMD also reported that Friendship Gate has been widened on approaches for ingress and egress here and the guard house has been completed that can be accessed by motorists going to and from of Clark and Angeles City.

CDC has earmarked PHP142.68 million for the widening of M.A. Roxas Highway; PHP119.89 million for the Gil Puyat road network including the drainage system; PHP86.1 million for the Jose Abad Santos; and PHP51.7 million for Claro M. Recto Avenue.

CMD said these infrastructure projects are geared towards helping the corporation fulfill its commitment to Clark’s stakeholders to transform the Freeport into a modern industrial estate, premier service and logistics hub for tourism and leisure. (PNA)

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