CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Friday, February 1, broke ground for the new Ciudad de Victoria Interchange located in Bocaue, Bulacan.
The P635-million project will have a four-lane road connecting the Manila North Road (MNR) and the Sta. Maria-Bocaue By-pass road, bypassing the heavily congested Governor F. Halili road via Ciudad de Victoria.
DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said that the new road project is expected to become the long-term solution to the usual heavy traffic situation and queuing of vehicles in the Bocaue interchange.
It will also serve as an infrastructure support and catalyst to further boost economic activities and industrialization in the road influence area, specifically to the towns of Sta. Maria and Bocaue, Bulacan, added Villar.
“The people from Bulacan understand that there is a need for an alternative road due to the heavily congested road in Governor F. Halili road in Sta. Maria, Bulacan and I am delighted to share that we no longer have to worry,” Villar said.
Villar also emphasized the importance of the vital infrastructure and reiterated the commitment of the Duterte administration to build public structures that will benefit the general public under its Build Build Build program.
The new road project will traverse a 650-linear meter new road opening from MNR to the existing 620 linear meter Bocaue Municipal Road which will be widened to four lanes. It will then continue to traverse a 640 linear meter new road opening and will terminate at the existing inner road of the Ciudad de Victoria.
It will also include the rehabilitation of 1,933 linear meter road of Ciudad de Victoria leading to the ongoing Sta. Maria- Bocaue Bypass Road passing to the San Gabriel Bridge in Sta. Maria, Bulacan, and the road construction of 1,300 linear meters to connect the existing Patubig Road leading to Marilao.
DPWH-Central Luzon Director Roseller Tolentino said that project contractor L.R. Tiqui Builders will construct the road network for 300 days with an expected date of completion on November 17, 2019.
“The new road project, which will also serve as an entry/exit toll gate of the North Luzon Expressway (north and south bound), will also have an 80-linear meter acceleration/deceleration lane in its north bound lane for vehicles entering and exiting the expressway,” Tolentino said.
Alongside the acceleration lane, a service road will also be constructed to serve as an access road for the vehicles coming from Bocaue to Marilao, and vice versa without having to enter and pay toll fees at the North Luzon Expressway, he furthered.
Meanwhile, local officials of the local government unit of Bocaue and the Provincial Government of Bulacan acknowledged the positive impact of the project to the economic improvement of the province. (JTD)