SMC taps French firm for new NAIAx section

MANILA, Philippines - Diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) has tapped Matière SAS of France and Filipino-owned Armando U. Khong Hun General Contractors Inc. to undertake the construction of a portion of the ongoing P15.5 billion Ninoy Aquino International Airport expressway.

SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon S. Ang said the conglomerate through Vertex Tollways Development Inc. entered into a partnership to speed up the completion of the project in time for the country’s hosting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting.

“We are confident that this partnership will help us meet our target this year, which is the substantial completion of the expressway in time for the APEC Summit, which our country is hosting this November,” Ang said.

According to Ang, the French engineering and construction company and its local counterpart would construct the Parañaque Riverside section of the toll road that would connect the NAIA terminals 1 to 4 to the Metro Manila Skyway along South Luzon expressway (SLEX) and the Manila-Cavite Toll expressway (Cavitex).

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has already issued a variation notice to transfer the alignment of the expressway traversing Domestic Road to the riverside of Parañaque City, in order to address issues on safety, traffic flow, and right-of-way along the Domestic Road.

With the change in alignment, the expressway would now start from Sales Avenue, cross Andrews Avenue, Paranaque Riverside instead of Domestic Road, and NAIA Road and end at Macapagal Boulevard where Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) Entertainment City is situated.

The Parañaque Riverside section would be constructed using an innovative Uni-Bridge Modular Solution system, a steel modular bridge system predesigned and prefabricated in France.

The use of this system guarantees a substantial completion of the new section within 10 months.

The toll road is a four-lane, 7.15-kilometer elevated expressway that would provide easy access to and from the three NAIA terminals and link the Skyway and Cavitex.