THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) said it is evaluating candidate sites for an integrated transport terminal in northern Metro Manila.
“We’re still looking for a suitable site which can connect to either the North-South Commuter Railway or Metro Manila Subway,” Transportation Jaime J. Bautista told reporters on the sidelines of a groundbreaking event in Taguig City on Monday.
Mr. Bautista said the DoTr is preparing a feasibility study which is expected to be complete within a few months.
Mr. Bautista said the proposed terminal is different from the new transport hub planned fort a three-hectare lot in Quezon City owned by the Government Service Insurance System.
In April, Mr. Bautista said the DoTr was in talks with bus company Victory Liner for a possible private-public partnership to establish an integrated terminal exchange in northern Metro Manila, similar in concept to the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX). One of Victory Liner’s major terminals is in Caloocan City.
Also on Monday, the DoTr signed an agreement with San Miguel Corp. (SMC), Ayala Land, Inc., the Veterans Federation of the Philippines, and other government agencies for the right of way for the first phase of the Southeast Metro Manila Expressway (SEMME).
SEMME is a 32.7-kilometer toll road project expected to cost over P45 billion. It aims to connect the South Luzon Expressway Skyway system at the Arca South estate in Taguig City to the Batasan Complex in Quezon City.
The expressway is expected to provide an alternate route from the south to eastern Metro Manila, including Rizal province. It will benefit up to 88,338 motorists daily.
The project is expected to cut travel time from Bicutan to Batasan to under 30 minutes from about two hours.
According to a timetable given to reporters during the event, Section 1A (Skyway to FTI), Section 1B (FTI to C5/Diego Silang), and Section 2 (C5/Diego Silang to C6/Taguig) will each be finished in 24 months.
On the other hand, Section 3 (C6/Taguig to Ortigas Ave. Ext.), Section 4 (Ortigas Ave. Ext. to Marcos Highway), Section 5 (Marcos Highway to Tumana), and Section 6 (Tumana to Batasan) will each be completed in 36 months.
The project will be operated by SMC, with the Philippine National Construction Corp. as joint venture partner. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave