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| The DPWH is preparing crucial plans and targets the next two (2) to five (5) years to develop new roads in Eastern Visayas. Photo: DPWH/PRESS RELEASE |
MANILA — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is developing crucial plans and targets for the next two (2) to five (5) years in order to develop a new road network in the Eastern Visayas Region.
Acting Secretary Roger G. Mercado of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced that he has asked the Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations, led by Undersecretary and Build Build Build Chief Implementer Emil K. Sadain, to assist Regional Office 8 in preparing for the construction of a stronger regional road network.
Secretary Mercado, who is from Southern Leyte, identified inadequate infrastructure as a significant impediment to economic growth and poverty alleviation, particularly in Southern Leyte and Northern Samar.
Undersecretary Sadain presented Secretary Mercardo with a roadmap of short and long-term projects that will help spur the improvement of infrastructure services in Eastern Visayas and move the region into a virtuous circle of growth and development.
The 15-kilometer Samar Pacific Coastal Road Project (SPCR) Phase 2 includes two (2) long-span bridges with a total length of 1.4 km, with a completed Feasibility Study and project proposal under preparation for submission to the National Economic and Development Authority; the construction of the 700-meter Iconic Liloan Bridge, with project concept paper preparation ongoing; and the construction of the 1.1-kilometer Iconic Maasin Coastal Bypass B.
The UPMO Roads Management Cluster 2 and its consultants prepared the SPCR Project Phase 2 Feasibility Study with financial assistance from the Korean Eximbank.
According to Undersecretary Sadain, the SPCR Project Phase 2 from Catarman-Laoang Road Junction to Laoang-Palapag Road Junction will reduce travel time and lay the groundwork for Northern Samar's long-term economic development.
The proposed project will also include the construction of the Laoang Il Bridge, which will have a main bridge made of pre-stressed concrete (PSC) box girders and will be built using the free cantilever method.
The planned Calomotan Bridge, on the other hand, will have a superstructure to accommodate passing vessels as well as to provide a new local landmark structure in the area.
The SPCR Project Phase 2 will supplement the ongoing 11.60 km SPCR Project Phase 1 by connecting the "Pacific Towns" from the Simora Junction, Laoang to the remote villages of Laoang and Palapag.
The SPCR Project Phase 1 is 59 percent complete and includes the construction of three (3) bridges: the 161-meter Simora Bridge, the 31-meter Jangtud 1 Bridge, and the 69-meter Jangtud 2 Bridge. (DPWH/PRESS RELEASE)