By Lydia C. Pendon
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| Iloilo's Diversion Soon |
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| Diversion at the present |
ILOILO CITY, Feb. 28 (PNA) РSenator Franklin M. Drilon, assisted by city mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, Congressman Jerry P. Tre̱as and vice mayor Jose Espinosa III, on Thursdy led the launching and groundbreaking here of the P300 million Phase I widening and improvement of Benigno S. Aquino Avenue, popularly known as the Iloilo-Jaro diversion road.
The four-lane road artery is the main gateway from the city proper going to the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan, Iloilo that needs expansion and enhancement into a six-lane main road with two service roads of two lanes each and another two lanes for walkways, bicycle lanes and planting strips.
Phase I of the project is assured of funding from the General Appropriations Act of the Department of Public Works and Highways and from the senator’s priority development assistance fund (PDAF).
Drilon warned the contractors to finish all the projects in Iloilo before 2016 as there are enough funds for these projects. He said he will be hard on contractors who fail to deliver the projects on time as the people and the local media are authorized to observe and report the project status.
Designed by international architect Paolo Alcazaren, the one who also designed the Esplanade I riverbank project here, the road project will be composed of road widening, bike lane, planting strip, service road, planting strip and sidewalk with a reserved area for future drainage system.
Drilon said the Phase I project stretches for almost three kilometers starting from Gen. Luna in the city proper up to the junction of El 98 in Jaro district with road expansion of 20 meters on the left side and 40 meters right side of the existing road.
The road project will be constructed by Cebu-based contractor Geo Transport and Construction Inc. to include three pedestrian overpasses that will pass over the highway near the Esplanade I area, the second near the Tabucan-San Rafael road and the third at junction El 98 in addition to the existing road fronting the SM City area.
Phase I project will also add to the attraction of the Iloilo Convention Center at the old Iloilo airport area as an appropriate site to host the Asia Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) ministerial meeting in 2015. Asia’s heads of states and leaders meeting will be held in Manila but the ministers of finance, tourism and others will have to come to Iloilo, the senator said.
Detailed engineering plan is now being prepared for Phase II to start from El 98 street junction up to the Iloilo City-Pavia boundary with a completion timeline before the term of President Benigno Aquino III ends in 2016.
DPWH regional director Edilberto Tayao said his department is committed to finish the whole stretch of the road project to change the face of Iloilo City by 2015.
The four-lane road artery is the main gateway from the city proper going to the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan, Iloilo that needs expansion and enhancement into a six-lane main road with two service roads of two lanes each and another two lanes for walkways, bicycle lanes and planting strips.
Phase I of the project is assured of funding from the General Appropriations Act of the Department of Public Works and Highways and from the senator’s priority development assistance fund (PDAF).
Drilon warned the contractors to finish all the projects in Iloilo before 2016 as there are enough funds for these projects. He said he will be hard on contractors who fail to deliver the projects on time as the people and the local media are authorized to observe and report the project status.
Designed by international architect Paolo Alcazaren, the one who also designed the Esplanade I riverbank project here, the road project will be composed of road widening, bike lane, planting strip, service road, planting strip and sidewalk with a reserved area for future drainage system.
Drilon said the Phase I project stretches for almost three kilometers starting from Gen. Luna in the city proper up to the junction of El 98 in Jaro district with road expansion of 20 meters on the left side and 40 meters right side of the existing road.
The road project will be constructed by Cebu-based contractor Geo Transport and Construction Inc. to include three pedestrian overpasses that will pass over the highway near the Esplanade I area, the second near the Tabucan-San Rafael road and the third at junction El 98 in addition to the existing road fronting the SM City area.Phase I project will also add to the attraction of the Iloilo Convention Center at the old Iloilo airport area as an appropriate site to host the Asia Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) ministerial meeting in 2015. Asia’s heads of states and leaders meeting will be held in Manila but the ministers of finance, tourism and others will have to come to Iloilo, the senator said.
Detailed engineering plan is now being prepared for Phase II to start from El 98 street junction up to the Iloilo City-Pavia boundary with a completion timeline before the term of President Benigno Aquino III ends in 2016.
DPWH regional director Edilberto Tayao said his department is committed to finish the whole stretch of the road project to change the face of Iloilo City by 2015.
