Megadike road plan gets P500-M funding
— The initiative of turning the west lateral portion of the FVR Megadike in Porac town as an alternative route will now be a reality as a P500-million fund had been appropriated for the project.
The P500-million fund was made possible through the effort of former President now Second District Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, according to Mayor Condralito dela Cruz who announced the new development before transport leaders of the town yest er day.
It could be recalled that former Pampanga Board Member Mike Tapang initially proposed the construction of a toll road on the west lateral portion of the FVR Megadike. But Dela Cruz was quick to note that the project is not a toll road but a regular two lane road for trucks.
The dike road will traverse some 10 kilometers in Porac, two kilometers in Sta. Rita town and four kilometers in Bacol or.
The purpose of the project is to become an alternative route for commercial vehicles, particularly quarry trucks, and private vehicles, which traverse the area going to Manila.
The route is also seen to connect the third district of Pampanga with the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) through the Porac Interchange in Barangay Cangatba here.
David assured leaders that their concerns in the modernization program will be forwarded to proper authorities through their mediation. Under the Department of Transportation (DOTr)’s jeepney modernization program, jeepneys aged 15 years and older should be replaced with Euro 4 engines or electricallypowered engines with solar panels for roofs.
The modern jeepney should also be equipped with safety features such as a speed limiter, closed-circuit television camera (CCTV), GPS, and dashboard camera. It will also be outfitted with an automated fare collection system.
It was a concern of the transport leaders on how to acquire units without breaking the bank as most of their members do not have the capacity purchase modern u n i t s.
Dela Cruz also bared that the Ayala Land development in the town is planning to open a transport terminal that will open public utility routes in Subic, City of San Fernando, Angeles City and Clark Freeport.
“These positive developments mean new opportunities for our public utility sector,” Dela Cruz added.
It could be remembered that Ayala Land Incorporated (ALI) has earmarked P90-billion for Alviera, a 1,100 hectare-large-scale mixed-use property development here. A joint venture of ALI and Leonio Land Holdings, Alviera will be built over its life that will include the development of industrial park, a country club, three residential communities and two academic institutions.
Ayala Land will build the Alviera Industrial Park (AIP) to drive economic activity in Central Luzon. The industrial park is seen to complement the industrial hubs in Clark and Subic targeting companies in light to medium, non-polluting enterprises.