Two major infrastructure projects in Luzon and the Visayas will be submitted by November to the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) for approval, according to Mark Villar, secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH).
These are the 220-kilometer Quezon-Bicol Expressway (QBex) and the fourth bridge in Mactan, Cebu connecting the cities of Lapu-Lapu on Mactan Island and Mandaue in mainland Cebu.
The feasibility study on QBex has been completed. The DPWH project preparation division is set to endorse the project to NEDA for approval.
The QBex project will start in Pagbilao, Quezon and will end at the existing Maharlika highway in San Fernando, Camarines Sur.
The project will be an alternative route from Quezon and the Bicol provinces. It will facilitate goods not just between the two provinces but also in the northern part of Luzon because travel time for trucks will be reduced.
“Once completed, travel time between Tayabas, Quezon and San Fernando, Camarines Sur will be reduced by two hours,” said Villar.
The DPWH is finalizing the feasibility study on the fourth bridge in Cebu.
Construction of a fourth bridge in Cebu was recommended by Japanese consultants from the Japan International Cooperation Agency to help mitigate traffic congestion in Metro Cebu.
The bridge was proposed to have total length of 6.78 kilometers, spanning over the Mactan channel, the bridge project with four lanes and a 22.2-meter wide roadway will affect Barangays Ibo and Pusok in Lapu-Lapu City and Umapad and Opao in Mandaue City.
