Public Works Secretary Simeon Datumanong said the privately funded interchange at the South Luzon Expressway in Sta. Rosa is critical to serve the needs of a growing population along the province’s growth corridors.
A circumferential road, to complement the interchange, will soon be built, an alternate route from the Tagaytay-Balibago Road to the Mamplasan Interchange.
"The new interchange and the circumferential road will certainly trigger growth outside of Metro Manila and ease migration into the metropolis," Datumanong said.
He said the project supports the National Government’s program to develop Laguna into a primary growth center and raise job generation in the province.
"The two projects funded by the private sector will also boost tourism, create more jobs and speed up economic plans for Sta. Rosa. This further highlights the role the private sector can play in upgrading the country’s infrastructure by funding 100 percent the undertaking," Datumanong added.
The province is one of the favorite destinations of urban-dwellers for a weekend of rest and relaxation.
Some 60,000 workers in the town’s industrial zone – the Laguna Technopark and Laguna International Industrial Park – are expected to benefit from the construction of the multi-million peso interchange and circumferential road.
Multinational companies such as National Panasonic, Toshiba and Hitachi have set up their own plants in the town together with car manufacturers Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Ford.
Laguna Technopark will eventually form part of a new large-scale fully integrated community straddling the provinces of Laguna and Cavite. This new regional growth center will integrate residential villages, a business district, commercial centers, socio-civic amenities and recreational facilities. Laguna has a population of two million.
Some 200,000 commuters, bound for Metro Manila and nearby provinces, traverse the existing Sta. Rosa interchange daily.
"One of the long-term benefits we can expect from these two projects is job generation and providing investors with modern infrastructure," Datumanong stressed.
The two infrastructures, once completed, will be turned over to the government.
The interchange, costing about P175 million, was designed to alleviate the vehicular load, especially during peak hours, along the route leading to the expressway.