Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. has proposed the construction of a flyover, estimated by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to cost between P2.7 billion and P3 billion, in the city of San Fernando, Pampanga’s capital.
“The four-lane overhead roadway will greatly ease the flow of traffic within and around San Fernando and neighboring towns, between San Fernando and Angeles City, and between Pampanga and Nueva Ecija,” he said.
It would accelerate the economic development of these local government units, which have become bustling growth areas in recent years, he said.
Based on DPWH’s concept design, the proposed flyover would be 1.59 kilometers long and would be built along the Gapan-San Fernando-Olongapo (GSO) road, the major highway linking Pampanga and Nueva Ecija.
It would start in Barangay Dolores before the intersection of GSO and MacArthur Highway, which links San Fernando and Angeles City, go west and end after the GSO-Lazatin Boulevard crossing in Barangay Magliman in San Fernando.
Gonzales, who represents Pampanga’s third district that includes the capital city, said MacArthur Highway and Lazatin Boulevard have grown into busy business districts and foodie destinations.
“Even with the temporary bridges built across the two intersections, the junctions remain traffic bottlenecks. The solution really is a long flyover crossing GSO-MacArthur Highway and GSO-Lazatin Boulevard,” the lawmaker, who is a civil engineer by profession, said.
He said the proposed viaduct would also make access to the North Luzon Expressway from San Fernando City, western part of Pampanga and even from Zambales and Bataan, faster.
He urged the DPWH to include the overhead roadway in its regular infrastructure program and to allocate funds for it.
Gonzales is also supporting the proposal of the DPWH and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the construction of protection structures around Mt. Arayat to shield communities at the foot of the mountain from landslides during typhoons.
He said some of his constituents in Arayat town had died due to recent mudflows. He said the DPWH and DENR proposal “will protect lives and livelihood.”