MANILA – The Department of Highways and Public Works are expected to begin the construction of the P123-billion Laguna Lakeshore Expressway-Dike Project by next year.
The project will help reduce flooding and improve living conditions in coastal communities along Laguna Lake. The DPWH said at least 22 prospective bidders from the private sector are set to submit their qualification papers on January 14 and tender their proposals on July 5.
The DPWH said it will award the project – via an alternative Public-Private Partnership scheme under the Build-Operate-Transfer Law – to the winning bidder on August 5.
The winning bidder will finance, design, and build the expressway-dike. It will also operate and maintain the highway as a toll facility over a 30-year concession period, and manage the flood control system.
The winning bidder will likewise have the right to own and dispose of 66.5 percent of the reclaimed land, subject to certain conditions.
The project has two components – the first involves the construction of a 47-kilometer flood control dike, with a six-lane highway on top, to include bridges, interchanges, access roads, floodgates, and pumping stations.
The highway-dike from Taguig City to the Municipality of Los Baños will be put up offshore – 500 meters away from the western shoreline of Laguna Lake.
The second component involves the reclamation and horizontal development of 700 hectares of foreshore and offshore land, in Taguig and Muntinlupa City, alongside the highway-dike.
The reclaimed land will be 16 kilometers long and 450 meters wide. It will be separated from the shoreline by a 100 to 150-meter channel.
The country’s largest freshwater hole, Laguna Lake is situated a meter above sea level. Heavy rains cause the lake to overflow and because the lake drains to Manila Bay via the Pasig River, the excess water aggravates flooding in Metro Manila, not just in coastal villages. (Mindanao Examiner)
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