MMDA announces delay in 3 infra projects

MANILA, Philippines - Construction of the 7.15-kilometer Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) elevated expressway project has been delayed and will not meet its completion date for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meet that the country will be hosting in November.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Monday met with executives of the D. M. Consunji Inc., (DMCI) the project’s contractor at the MMDA office in Makati.

According to MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino, the project will be completed by April next year, according to the project contractor.

Tolentino added that the ongoing construction of the elevated expressway is also causing debris to clog the drainage near the Park and Fly building along Airport Road. The clogging of the drainage, said the MMDA, is creating flooding at the area whenever it rains.

“Hindi aabot sa APEC. April 2016 pa matatapos. Niliwanag nila (contractor) na yung NAIA elevated expressway will be delayed for five months. Inamin din nila na mayroong naging bara sa drainage malapit sa Park and Fly na nag-cause ng baha. So nagcommit sila na sila ay tutulong para maalis yung bara,” said Tolentino.

Tolentino said the MMDA was informed by the contractor that the construction of the NAIA elevated expressway is being delayed by right of way acquisition. The project’s construction started in January 2 last year.

The NAIA Expressway is four-lane elevated expressway with a total length of 7.15 kilometers. The elevated expressway – including ramps - starts at Sales Avenue going to Andrews Avenue, Domestic Road and MIA road. It ends at the Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard and PAGCOR Entertainment City.  

The elevate expressway project will link to the elevated NLEX–SLEX Connector Road and to the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB)/Citra Metro Manila Tollways Corporation (CMMTC) Metro Manila Skyway  extension to Araneta Avenue (C–3).

Tolentino added the construction completion of the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 (Skyway 3) will also be delayed. Tolentino said the Skyway 3 project was slated for completion on December 2017. However, because of the delay, the project is now slated for completion by April 2018.

Tolentino says the delay in the completion of the NAIA elevated expressway and the Skyway 3 projects would mean slow moving traffic in the affected areas. Specifically affected by the Skyway 3 construction project are Osmena Highway in Manila and Araneta Avenue in Quezon City.

“Habang ginagawa ito (Skyway 3) ay masikip tayo sa Osmena, sa Araneta, at marami pang iba,” Tolentino said.

Tolentino said the need to relocate the drainage systems on Osmena Highway and on Araneta Avenue is causing the delay in the construction of the Skyway 3 project. Moving the drainage systems would take at least three months to finish, the project’s contractor also informed the MMDA, Tolentino said.

Construction of the P26.6-billion Skyway 3 project started in February last year. The elevated expressway starts from Gil Puyat Avenue (Buendia) in Makati City to Balintawak in Quezon City. It has a total distance of 14.82 kilometers.

Meanwhile, construction of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) 2 Masinag extension project will also be delayed as the MMDA denied permission to have it started on Thursday (September 17).

Tolentino said the project’s construction start will most likely be on September 28 after DMCI, the project’s contractor has still to install a temporary traffic signal on the Marcos Highway.