DMCI to build portion
of Skyway Stage 3
BY THE MANILA TIMES ON
MAY 11, 2015
CONSTRUCTION firm DMCI Holdings said it will
build a portion of the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 (MMSS-3) after being awarded
the 32-month engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract by a unit
of San Miguel Corp. (SMC).
In a disclosure to
the Philippine Stock Exchange on Monday, DMCI Holdings announced that its
wholly-owned construction subsidiary, D. M. Consunji, Inc. (DMCI), “has been
awarded the EPC contract for the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3–Sections 1 and 2
by Citra Central Expressway Corp., a unit of San Miguel Corp.”
The Skyway Stage 3
project is a six-lane elevated toll expressway that will start at the end of
Skyway Stage 1 located along Buendia in Makati City.
Section 1 involves
the construction of a 3.7-kilometer highway from Buendia to Nagtahan in Manila
and Section 2 covers the 3.5-kilometer stretch from Nagtahan to Ramon Magsaysay
Boulevard, also in Manila.
MMSS-3, which has a
total project cost of P26.65 billion, is envisioned to ease traffic in Metro
Manila by linking the North Luzon Expressway and the South Luzon Expressway via
an elevated toll road.
When completed in
April 2017, it should cut travel time between Buendia in Makati and Balintawak
in Quezon City from two hours down to 20 minutes.
Its entire length
will be about 14.82 kilometers and the project also includes improvement works
in selected at-grade sections. It is designed to pull in and ease traffic and
access through eight strategically located interchanges with a total of 14 toll
plazas, providing a choice corridor for Metro Manila intercity travelers.
Project benefits
Among the project benefits are to decongest EDSA and other major roads by as
much as 55,000 vehicles daily based on initial projected patronage; additional
road infrastructure at no cost to the government; and reduction of economic
losses due to traffic congestion, which is estimated at P2.4 billion daily
based on a study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Project proponents
also note that lesser vehicle operating costs and gasoline expenses, among
others, will more than offset the cost of the toll fee, and that the project
will provide direct employment of around 6,000 jobs during construction plus an
additional 10,000 to 12,000 indirect jobs.
In addition, it is
expected to result in less pollution, promote economic development, business
expansion and tourism in and outside Metro Manila; offer more revenues to the
government in the form of taxes; and provide increased safety and security
during travel.
Based on the
Supplemental Toll Operation Agreement covering Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3, the
construction term of Stage 3 is 36 consecutive months from the effectiveness of
the Notice to Proceed, which is February 10, 2015, when the conditions for the
effectiveness of the NTP were fulfilled.
Cumulative physical
accomplishment as of March 25, 2015 of the three Advance Works is 96.71 percent
based on the combined total cost.
ROSALIE C. PERIABRAS
