Fort Bonifacio-Nichols road widening project starts

MANILA, Philippines - The government kicked off the P458-million widening project for the Fort Bonifacio - Nichols Field Road Phase 1 in Taguig City to help decongest traffic.

Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said during the groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of the work on the Fort Bonifacio-Nichols Field Road the project is part of the department’s efforts to ease congestion through the widening of existing road network.

Phase 1 covers 1.34 kilometers of the Lawton Ave. which has a total length of 3.54 km, following a part of the alignment of the old Nichols route running southwest to northeast from the interchange of South Luzon Expressway or Skyway to Fifth Avenue and Manila American Cemetery Memorial.

“While the construction of the 2.68-km lane of new concrete cement pavement at Lawton Ave. will bring  inconvenience to traveling public, it is temporary and limited in duration which cannot outweigh the benefit of new concrete road that ensures an economical, sound and more stable pavement structure with longer performance period,” Villar said.

Apart from helping ease congestion, the project will also complement the Bonifacio Global City – Ortigas Center Link Road project.

The Bonifacio Global City - Ortigas Center Link Road project involves the construction of the four-lane Sta. Monica to Lawton Bridge across Pasig River, and a four-lane viaduct structure traversing Lawton Ave. onwards the entrance of Bonifacio Global City.

The project, which covers 961.427 lineal meters, is expected to improve access between the cities of Pasig, Mandaluyong, Taguig and Makati.

It is expected to be completed by March 2020.

Once the Bonifacio Global City - Ortigas Link Road project is completed, traveling between the central business districts of Taguig and Pasig Cities would take only 12 minutes.

Congestion along major roads such as EDSA and C-5, particularly along Guadalupe Bridge and Bagong Ilog Bridge, will also be reduced by about 25 percent.

Villar said the DPWH is also studying the extension of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway (NAIAX) from Lawton Ave. in Bonifacio Global City to Parañaque.

The NAIAX is a four-lane expressway providing access to NAIA Terminals 1, 2 and 3, and linking the Skyway and the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway.

After the widening of the Lawton Ave. is completed, Villar said those coming from NAIAX may go directly to Fort Bonifacio without having to go to Magallanes.

“So, there will be a Fort connection,” he said.

Villar said there is also a plan to extend NAIAX up to Imelda Ave. in Parañaque.

The DPWH is hopeful the study could be completed this year.

Villar said the extension would be undertaken by San Miguel Corp.’s Vertex Tollways Development Inc. which won the contract to construct and operate the NAIAX.