Saturday, November 10, 2007 'Fallback' plan needed due to scrapping of Manuali interchange By Albert B. Lacanlale
A SAN Fernando City councilor said the City Government ought to come up with fallback plan after the proposed Manuali interchange was scrapped in its overall development design.
Councilor Alex Patio, City Council majority leader, said since the National Government is no longer bent on constructing an interchange linking the East Lateral Mega Dike to Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), other options need to be considered to take advantage of the toll way's possible effect to development.
Patio said although Manuali proposal was scrapped from the interchanges being prepared for construction, the City Government should still be grateful that there are interchanges which will link other Pampanga towns to the toll road.
He explained that towns, like Porac and Floridablanca, which will directly benefit from the promised interchanges, are still accessible to this city via the Mega Dike.
"We'll just have to find ways how we could maximize the use of SCTEx through our available connecting roads. We cannot just gripe over the National Government's decision which interchanges to construct or not," Patio said.
The City Government, led by Mayor Oscar Rodriguez, has openly endorsed the proposed Manuali interchange which was suggested by the Advocacy for the Development of Central Luzon (ADCL).
Officials here believed that an interchange in Manuali will provide the best access to this capital city since the East Lateral Mega Dike is already accessible to light vehicles.
The East Lateral Mega Dike road from Porac winds down to Jose Abad Santos Avenue in Bacolor -- practically a stone-throw away from the city.
However, Malacañang instructed the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), the agency implementing the construction of SCTEx, to build interchanges in Hacienda Dolores in Porac, at the Basa Airbase in Floridablanca and inside the Clark Freeport Zone.
The three new interchanges, it was learned, are part of the original design of SCTEx, which were omitted later due to budget constraints.
Patio said the City Government's way to "redirect development spin-off" of SCTEx to this city is by constructing service roads perpendicular to North Luzon Expressway (Nlex), which is linked to SCTEx in Mabalacat.
The councilor said areas of San Fernando along Nlex would still enjoy the development once motorists start using the service roads.
Aside from infrastructures, Patio said the City Government may also beef up its promotion to tourism and investment to place the city among the priority tourism areas this part of the country.
