Pasig River Expressway project gets go-signal from gov’t  

The Pasig River Expressway (PAREX) project received the go-signal from government after the Supplemental Toll Operations Agreement (STOA) was signed.

The STOA, which signifies the Philippine government’s approval on the project,  was signed by Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar, Department of Transportation (DoTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade, Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) Executive Director Alvin Carullo and San Miguel Corporation (SMC) President Ramon Ang.

Ang expressed gratitude to the government for “studying and ultimately seeing how it can address traffic congestion and transportation inadequacies throughout Metro Manila, as well as how it can greatly benefit the environment and improve life in the city.”

The agreement for the 19.37-km, six-lane elevated road happened after the project was proposed to the national government more than a year ago.

The said project will run along the banks of the Pasig River (from Radial Road 10 in the City of Manila to C-6 road (also known as the future South East Metro Manila Expressway [SEMME>) in Taguig.

In a statement, SMC claimed that it will not be an ordinary highway. “It will be the first privately funded road network in the country that combines sustainability features with the functionality of a safe and efficient transport infrastructure that the country is sorely lacking in,” the company noted.

According to him, PAREX will be an “inclusive, user-centered infrastructure that will integrate various modes of transportation beyond cars by having dedicated bike lanes, walkways, and a bus rapid transit system, among others."

Following the government's approval, Ang said that they are tapping environmental planner, and green urbanism advocate Architect Felino Palafox Jr. to build the PAREX project. Palafox is also the SMC’s partner in airport and aerocity project in Bulakan, Bulacan.

“Together with Palafox and Associates, we will build what will be the country’s first sustainable infrastructure, one that will not just be ‘green,’  but will have multiple uses and direct environmental, social, and economic benefits to Filipinos,” Ang said.

The road will consist of three major segments:

• Segment 1: from R-10 to Plaza Azul, Manila;
• Segment 2: from Pandacan to C-5; and,
• Segment 3 from C-5 to C6.

This road PAREX will utilize a 2.7-kilometer portion of the new Skyway Stage 3 from Nagtahan to Plaza Azul.

Moreover, Ang noted that the project will complete the north-south-east-west expressway connectivity for the region. Once operational, PAREX will serve as the east-west connection, which will connect the Skyway 3 and SEMME. The interlinking of roads will make every major city in Metro Manila accessible via expressway.

Furthermore, SMC noted that no taxpayer or government money will be used in the P95-billion project and “will be purposely-built around green architecture and engineering principles, with sustainability as its key driver.”

Photos from Department of Transportation, San Miguel Corporation

Also read:

PAREX not just for addressing MM traffic, but reviving Pasig River as well

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SMC eyes integration of sustainability programs into infra projects