The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has started the construction of the country’s first Science terminal building at the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) compound in Bicutan.
DPWH said the government has allocated a P326-million budget for the project which is targeted to be completed by the middle of next year.
The five-storey building will soon rise in a 13,680 square meter area at the DOST compound. First to three floors will be dedicated to the public transportation hub while the upper two levels are the executive offices and the Science and Technology Exhibit Center.
The project is originally intended to address the traffic congestion and commuter woes in Bicutan by building an integrated terminal. Five years after its first conceptualization and series of meetings, an exhibit center was later added to the plan.
Once the construction of the integrated terminal and science center building is completed, it will be the first of its kind in the country to date, DPWH said.
The science terminal is aimed to spark interest to the commuting public, especially to students, to pursue an education and career in science.
Meanwhile, DPWH said two flood control structures were recently completed along active water channels traversing the municipality of Floridablanca in Pampanga.
The newly built Barangay Valdez revetment wall is an addition to the 85.77-lineal-meter slope protection in the area built in 2021.
Also along Porac River in Barangay Valdez, an ongoing construction of a 346-lineal-meter segment of flood control structure adjoining the existing slope protection is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of the year.
DPWH likewise completed a 347.52-lineal-meter slope protection in Barangay San Jose section of Santol Creek worth P29.3 million.
The existing, newly completed and underway flood control structures along Floridablanca’s major river system ensure the protection of residents’ lives and properties against inundation come rainy season. – Myla Iglesias
