CITY OF SAN FERNANDO--The widening of the Balimbing Bridge along Jose Abad Santos Avenue in this city has started and is seen to be completed by February 27, 2017, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said.
The P40.2-million two-lane bridge expansion is a result of a series of meetings initiated by the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc., then Third District Representative Oscar Rodriguez, the City Government of San Fernando, the Manila North Tollways Corporation (MNTC) and the DPWH in a bid to solve the traffic gridlocks along Pampanga's premier gateway and pave the way for the eventual decongestion of Metro Manila.
The widening of Balimbing Bridge is part of the national governmentís construction and maintenance of bridges along national roads. The San Fernando Bridge, which traverses Jose Abad Santos Avenue and cuts across the North Luzon Expressway or NLEx, is also up for expansion as part of the P2.6-billion NLEx road-widening project which is going on full blast.
The ongoing works at Segments 2 and 3 of NLEx will accommodate the growing number of vehicles plying the key 93-kilometer tollway that connects Metro Manila to Central and Northern Luzon. Based on MNTC data, vehicle entries in NLEX rose to more than 218,000 in 2015 from almost 200,000 in 2014, and is expected to increase following calls to decongest Metro Manila and create other metro centers in Central and North Luzon.
The road-widening project will expand the existing two-lane portion of NLEX between Sta. Rita and City of San Fernando to three lanes on both the northbound and southbound sides, while the current one-lane stretch between Dau and Sta. Ines will be expanded to two lanes on both sides.
The MNTC said that aside from making travel on NLEx more comfortable for motorists, the project will also benefit merchants who use the expressway to transport their goods. (JTD)