The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has identified four major infrastructure projects in Eastern Visayas that will be implemented over the next two to five years.
The long-term projects are the 15-kilometer (km) Samar Pacific Coastal Road (SPCR) project phase 2, the 700-meter Iconic Liloan Bridge, the 1.1-kilometer (km) Iconic Maasin Coastal Bypass Bridge, and the 23-kilometer Bohol-Leyte Link Bridge.
According to a report released by the DPWH on Wednesday (Dec. 8), the SPCR includes two long-span bridges totaling 1.4 km in length. The feasibility study has already been completed, and the project proposal is being prepared for submission to the National Economic and Development Authority.
The SPCR project phase 2 will supplement the ongoing 11.60-km SPCR phase 1 connecting the Pacific towns from the Simora Junction in Laoang town, traversing to the remote villages of Laoang and Palapag towns. The first phase 1 is 59 percent completed and includes the construction of three bridges.
Meanwhile, the Liloan Bridge concept paper is being prepared, and the Maasin Coastal Bypass Bridge is being discussed with the Export-Import Bank of Korea.
The Asian Development Bank-funded pre-feasibility study for the Bohol-Leyte Link Bridge will be revisited.
The government has yet to estimate the costs of these four long-term projects.
Acting Sec. of the DPWH In a statement, Roger Mercado said he has asked the Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations, led by Undersecretary Emil Sadain, to help the regional office prepare for the construction of a stronger regional road network.
“In my inspection, I saw the need for a significant upgrade of roads and bridges to improve connectivity and address the problem of isolation, especially in far-flung areas of the region,” Mercado said.
Inadequate infrastructure, according to Mercado, is a major impediment to economic growth and poverty reduction in Southern Leyte and Northern Samar.
This article is originally published by Philippine News Agency