Philippines' P2.5-Billion C5 Rehabilitation Set to Begin in Late November
Key Takeaways
- •The DPWH plans to award the P2.5-billion C5 rehabilitation contract by Nov. 18 and begin work in the last week of November.
- •The rehabilitation will be carried out in phases over 420 calendar days, with completion targeted for February 2028.
- •Construction will be limited to the hours between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m., applying the least disruptive approach used in the EDSA rehabilitation.
- •Unused funds from the initially proposed P17-billion EDSA rehabilitation budget will be applied to the C5 upgrades.
- •The C5 works are part of a wider DPWH rehabilitation program spanning Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao, covering roads such as Maharlika Highway and several bridges.
The Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is aiming to start the P2.5-billion rehabilitation of Circumferential Road 5 (C5) before the end of this month. C5 is one of Metro Manila's principal circumferential roads, providing a north-south alternative to EDSA as it links Quezon City in the north to Parañaque in the south.
"Based on our meetings (with the DPWH's National Capital Region office), we can begin the rehabilitation of C5 by the last week of November," Public Works Secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez told reporters on Tuesday.
The post-qualification stage of the bidding process for the rehabilitation contract is currently underway, according to Mr. Lopez.
"Barring any supervening events, based on our procurement timeline we can award (the contract) by Nov. 18," he said. The award would clear the way for the targeted late-November start.
Once the contract is awarded, the rehabilitation will be carried out in phases over 420 calendar days, with completion targeted for February 2028.
"We will be considering the least disruptive (work program) for commuters and motorists, the same thing that we did with the EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue) rehabilitation," Mr. Lopez said, adding that work will be conducted between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.
Transportation Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon said his department is coordinating with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority on a traffic management plan for the duration of the C5 rehabilitation.
Mr. Lopez said unused funds from the initial P17-billion budget for the EDSA rehabilitation will be applied to the C5 upgrades. The DPWH and the Department of Transportation (DoTr) revised the EDSA plan, cutting the work timetable to eight months from the originally planned two years and drastically reducing the initially proposed P17-billion budget. The second phase of the EDSA project is expected to cost around P4 billion, with all phases projected to cost P6 billion overall, according to the DoTr.
The C5 works form part of a wider DPWH rehabilitation program — spanning projects across Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao — that also covers Maharlika Highway, EDSA, the Andaya Highway in Bicol and Quezon, MacArthur Highway in Apalit, Pampanga, the Buot-Taop Bridge in Cebu City, the Oyungan Bridge in Iloilo, and the Tubod-Nabuna Bridge in Aloran, Misamis Occidental.
— Ashley Erika O. Jose
Source: BusinessWorld
