DMCI bags P8B deal

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DM Consunji Inc. (DMCI) bagged the P8-billon civil works contract for the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) connector road project but is not keen to bid for the $10-billion new Sangley international airport in Cavite.

“We have not received any invitation, so far, it’s not on our radar,”  said Dwight David Ta-Ala, DMCI vice president for Infrastructure and Business, in a sideline interview at the contract signing of the civil works of the NLEX connector road.

When asked if the project is attractive, Ta-Ala said, “it depends how they package the project.”

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DMCI in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange last week said it was invited by the provincial government of Cavite to attend a pre-bid conference of the Sangley airport project but it has not yet secured the bid documents.

DMCI signed with NLEX Corp. the contract for the construction of  the first five-kilometer section of the NLEX connector from Grace Park, Caloocan City to Espana street in Sampaloc, Manila.

Spanning 8 kms., the entire NLEX connector will be an all-weather, all-vehicle class elevated expressway that will traverse the new Caloocan Interchange on 5th avenue/C3 road in Caloocan City and passing through España, eventually link up with the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 at PUP Sta. Mesa in Manila.

Luigi Bautista,NLEX Corp. president and general manager said the government has delivered 50 percent of right-of-way (ROW) for phase 1 which paves the way for the start of the construction of the first two kms. towards the end of November.

The contract covers the main civil works for the Caloocan-España section.

The NLEX connector will continue the NLEX southward from NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 from the new Caloocan Interchange.  The project will utilize portions of the existing right-of-way of the Philippine National Railways (PNR).

The PNR ROW will be shared by the NLEX connector and the North South Commuter Railway currently also under construction.

“Upon full completion in 2021, the NLEX connector will significantly cut travel time from NLEX to SLEX (South Luzon Expressway) by at least 60 percent. Instead of the usual 2 hours, travel time will now be reduced to about 20 minutes.  It will also provide improved accessibility for cargo trucks bound for the Manila Ports (North and South Harbor) and the international airports such as NAIA and Clark,” said Mark Villar, secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Seen as a crucial infrastructure needed to solve traffic congestion in Metro Manila, the NLEX connector is also expected to stimulate economic development in Manila, Caloocan, Malabon and Navotas, as well as its surrounding areas.

Around 35,000 vehicles, cargo trucks in particular, will benefit from the project which will divert traffic from Metro Manila’s congested city roads.

The NLEX connector is one of the first public-private partnership projects awarded by the Duterte administration in 2016.

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