The Department of Transportation said Thursday the proposed P95-billion Pasig River Expressway project of San Miguel Corp. is “environment-friendly” and will revive the Pasig River.
“The project will not only address the traffic congestion in Metro Manila and San Miguel promised that the project is environment friendly and it would revive the Pasig River,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said during the agency’s budget hearing at the Senate.
“The proponent is also open to any dialog and sharing of information to ensure that the project is environment-friendly,” he said.
San Miguel earlier said it initially allotted P2 billion to extract at least 3 million metric tons of solid waste from the river to allow it to channel floodwaters more effectively. This will also allow for safer operations of water ferries.
The company said PAREX would be built only on the banks of Pasig River, with its posts occupying only 1 meter of the average 200-meter width of Pasig River.
The DOTR earlier approved the proposed project—an elevated hybrid highway that will stretch 19.37 kilometers along the banks of Pasig River from Manila to Taguig.
PAREX will have three major segments. Segment 1 would run from R-10 to Plaza Azul, Manila; Segment 2 from Pandacan to C-5; and Segment 3 from C-5 to C6. PAREX will also connect to, and utilize a 2.7-km. portion of the new Skyway Stage 3, from Nagtahan to Plaza Azul.
PAREX, which will start from Radial Road 10 in Manila and end at a connection to the South East Metro Manila Expressway or Circumferential Road 6, is seen to reduce travel time from Manila to Rizal to just 15 minutes.
San Miguel plans to put up a bus rapid transit system on Skyway and PAREX to provide commuters faster, more convenient and reliable alternative transportation to different points in Metro Manila.
San Miguel president Ramon Ang said the project would generate between 50,000 and 200,000 jobs.
He said San Miguel would fully shoulder the P95-billion cost to build PAREX, with no taxpayer or government money used.
