Metro Manila Skyway

[Lightspeed]

Originally Posted by absent-minded

yeah... it's sad what happened to the Philippines. I guess it's just like the turning of a wheel. we won't always be on top and those at the bottom won't always sit down there. it seems the Philippines is around at the middle of the wheel and it's either going to back up or continue turning further forward (til we reach the bottom)...

with the corruption, graft, red-tape and bad gov't-investor relationships (i.e. NAIA-3) we really can't expect investors to come in and volunteer to pitch in some money to help the country. according to various taxi drivers in BKK, many of their elevated highways were built by investors and I believe many of them were happy to work with the Thai government. what the GMA administration seriously has to work on now is to clean up the government's bad image being projected to foreign investors who would like to put some money into the country but do not want to take the risk.

I think I read somewhere that Hopewell Holdings also had its share of bad experiences with the Thai Government. They built an elevated skyway in Bangkok but got into a lot of disagreements after they built a substantial portion of it. I think the result is a white elephant - an unfinished and unused modern skyway in the heart of Bangkok. Maybe we can ask our Thai friends to give us an update on this.

But it just shows that its not only in the Philippines that investors are finding difficulties dealing with the authorities.

[absent-minded]

oh yeah... Hopewell something. that's the one on subways.net. it was supposed to be a skyway and skytrain combined, but something happened and it's now known as the HopeLESS project.

[renell]

one thing to be considered, is the Metro Manila skyway really needed? San Andres to Balintawak was quite quick actually. we might see it finished until Alabang, but the cross-MM part could be postponed until needed. i dont think it is so far

[SunKing]

The development of the other main roads like the Coastal Road, EDSA, Roxas Boulevard, et cetera, has eased the dependence of commuters on the South Superhighway/Skyway.

[federal]

Originally Posted by renell

one thing to be considered, is the Metro Manila skyway really needed? San Andres to Balintawak was quite quick actually. we might see it finished until Alabang, but the cross-MM part could be postponed until needed. i dont think it is so far

IT is totally needed. this project was dubbed as the "highway of tomorrow".... super delayed na

why is it needed? Cause we have no intercity, high-speed, elevated highway which cuts through the metro cities and links NLEX and SLEX seamlessly. EDSA could fit my description but the huge volume, inadequate infrastructure (North avenue, rooosevelt interchanges have not been constructed until now!! Oct pa dapat last year nagstart!), and bad roads are posing big problems. I have a another skyway system is built catering to east to west traffic.... Weird naman kasi kung north to south lang dba. So there's fast travel between Manila----->Quezon City...

[mysaong03]

hi, speaking of skyways & highway infras thingy, does anyone know or can post any details or sketch on the new tunnel-cum-flyover/interchange project along katipunan & boni serrano ave. twas televised lately coz loads of complaints were raised by the motorists saying the project is being done very very slowly, w/ the target completion supposedly on sept 2004, but the dpwh said it wont b finished until feb 2005, & the budget is already spinning out of control!!

[pau_p1]

yeah, does anybody have any rendering of this construction?... I've been passing through Katipunan and C5 the past 2 days and I am very curious on how would this end up.... should it be a full fly over or a tunnel or a partial tunnel and partial fly over meeting midway....

I can't find one in the internet or even any poster of it...it's been clogging that part of the metro....

[apiong]

Originally Posted by mysaong03

loads of complaints were raised by the motorists saying the project is being done very very slowly, w/ the target completion supposedly on sept 2004, but the dpwh said it wont b finished until feb 2005, & the budget is already spinning out of control!!

http://www.dpwh.gov.ph/News_index.asp#14%20July%202004

[pau_p1]

OK....ohh... those squatters really are our big problem!... you appropriate money for them to leave the place and they squat somewhere else and they just splurge instead of saving.....

[absent-minded]

what's the flyover for?? is it big? btw, is that flyover along somewhere past Meralco done yet? in Pasig (crossing intersection of Meralco Ave. and Pasig Blvd. i think)... east of Ortigas, right beside the new mc home depot or something.... that took pretty long as well.

[apiong]

Originally Posted by absent-minded

what's the flyover for?? is it big? btw, is that flyover along somewhere past Meralco done yet? in Pasig (crossing intersection of Meralco Ave. and Pasig Blvd. i think)... east of Ortigas, right beside the new mc home depot or something.... that took pretty long as well.

- the boni-serrano/katipunan flyover/tunnel interchange will connect the C-5 alignment with the Katipunan Ave. alignment... its one huge project. If you pass by there, from C-5 going to Katipunan, you have to negotiate that narrow winding road going up the elevation from Libis to Katipunan Ave. With the interchange, from C-5 coming from Libis/Eastwood, you pass along a 4-lane (2 each direction) flyover then enter a tunnel and emerge at the northbound lane of Katipunan Ave. going to the Ateneo/U.P. area.

- on the meralco ave/julia vargas flyover, afaik, the're still waiting for GMA to inaugurate it... (its been finished for weeks na!)

[pau_p1]

ahh ok... so it is partially a fly over and partially a tunnel... hmmm... a unique roadway in the metro huh...

and yes that flyover on Meralco Avenue is done already....

[Solblanc]

It would be unique and nice if it was finished. Right now, it makes travel hell for me. All I can see at the moment is one huge hole and an overpass that goes nowhere, not to mention only one navigable lane.

[thomasian]

FOUR C-5 FLYOVERS TO RISE SOON

In the next few months, Circumferential Road 5 (C-5) will be filled with construction sites for four additional flyovers, according to Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Simon Datumanong.

The DPWH Chief said the flyovers will be built at Boni Serrano and Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City, Ortigas Avenue in Pasig City, Lanuza Street and J. Vargas Avenue in Pasig City and Kalayaan Avenue in Makati City.

He also said that the government hopes that the construction of these additional flyovers will relieve traffic in the busy thoroughfare which, since it's opening a few years ago, has become a constant traffic bottleneck.

Datumanong revealed that construction of the C-5 - Ortigas Interchange, which will cost government some P656-million, is scheduled to start on August 2001 and end two years later.

The Public Works Department will build the second flyover and a tunnel along Katipunan Ave. This particular project, said the secretary, will start on October 2001 and is expected to be completed by September 2003.

While along the intersection in C-5, the DPWH will build the third flyover along the intersection of Lanuza St. and J.V. Vargas Ave. Costing P398 million, the project involves the construction of 630 meters of road. It will begin on March next year and will be completed by February 2004.

The fourth flyover will be built at the C-5 - Kalayaan Ave. intersection in Makati City. Set to begin on April 2002, the P305-million Japanese-funded project will see the construction of 790 meters of road over a period two year period.

Datumanong also disclosed that aside from the additional C-5 flyovers, the DPWH will also build three interchanges along EDSA, at points where it will meet Quezon, West, and Roosevelt avenues.

Likewise, the secretary appealed to motorists and commuters to bear with the work on the said projects. Likewise, he assured that all efforts will be made to mitigate heavy traffic expected to come along with the said constructions.

[Edmundtanso]

hmmm seems like they are doing so much flyovers in C-5. didnt you guys think it would have been better if they just make the whole strech of C-5 elevated?

[pau_p1]

elevated?... hmm.. I don't think so... because its too costly... anyway... one of those projects (Ortigas - C5) is done, and Katipunan C5 is u/c... the Vargas/Lanuza and Kalayaan are not yet begun...

[federal]

yeah... i agree.. too costly. they can't even build the extension of C-5 all the way to NLEX due to funding and right of way problems.

[ryanr]

C-5 ends at UP, right? so if they are to extend it all the way to NLEX, where will it pass through? that area is quite occupied already. They cant just build the highway through Ayala Heights...

The major cause of traffic in MM is that there are not enough alternate routes to the CBDs of Makati and Ortigas, especially from the north. EDSA and C-5 cannot take it anymore. What the really need to do is finish the skyway all the way to Balintawak so that north residents (QC, etc) will have an fast alternate route to Makati through the skyway (exiting in the buendia ramp). It will also make it easier to go from the north to the south of the metro....or vice versa.

[federal]

Originally Posted by GreyX

C-5 ends at UP, right? so if they are to extend it all the way to NLEX, where will it pass through? that area is quite occupied already. They cant just build the highway through Ayala Heights...

The major cause of traffic in MM is that there are not enough alternate routes to the CBDs of Makati and Ortigas, especially from the north. EDSA and C-5 cannot take it anymore. What the really need to do is finish the skyway all the way to Balintawak so that north residents (QC, etc) will have an fast alternate route to Makati through the skyway (exiting in the buendia ramp). It will also make it easier to go from the north to the south of the metro....or vice versa.

Yes. Right now, C-5 North is putol at UP. I don't know where it will pass through though. Maybe the huge land beside MWSS will be assigned to the C5 North Project. But once it reaches Commonwealth, hindi ko na talaga alam where.

You're right about the skyway thing. EDSA can't take it. C-5 Neither can. That's the real purpose. But unfortunately, our government is too slow. I hope Pangilinan buys a major stake already and get on with this project.

[absent-minded]

yeah. Pangilinan works wonders. hopefully he'll be the one to propell the rest of the skyway into completion.