No time to waste A day after President Rodrigo Duterte directed all agencies to speed up all “Build, Build, Build” projects, the Department of Transportation started the construction of the first phase of the LRT-1 extension to Cavite. DoTR PHOTO

Residents of Cavite City and its suburbs can begin counting the days toward more comfortable travel less the debilitating vehicular traffic jams as, after 19 years of waiting, piling works for the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) Cavite extension started yesterday.

After completing ground investigation and foundation design works, the Light Rail Manila Corp (LRMC) has started piling works from Dr. Santos Station in Parañaque, where right-of-way (RoW) problems have been cleared.

Piling works involve the construction of supporting piers that will serve as the foundation for the elevated railway structures.

The first phase covers seven of the 11-kilometer extension that will have terminals at the Redemptorist, MIA, Asiaworld, Ninoy Aquino and Dr. Santos stations.

Asiaworld Station is located parallel to and right beside the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange and will eventually be connected to the Metro Manila Subway, forming the Parañaque Common Station. The cited stations are those which has their RoW issues cleared.

Requiring a total of 203 piers, construction of the first 67 piers started on 1 September from Dr. Santos Station to Ninoy Aquino Station. Forty piers from Ninoy Aquino Station to Asiaworld Station, and 22 piers from Redemptorist Station to the existing LRT-1 Baclaran Station will begin construction in November 2019, while 74 piers from Asiaworld Station to Redemptorist Station will begin construction in March 2020.

To speed up construction, piling works will be done simultaneously in up to five different areas where there is no RoW impediment. In cooperation with LRMC, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) and Light Rail Transit Authority have been working hand-in-hand to clear the route of RoW concerns to ensure continuous works.

President Rodrigo Duterte in his recent China trip said he wanted all the infrastructure works under the “Build, Build, Build” program completed before he steps down in 2022.

Remaining RoW obstructions to be cleared under Package 1 include auxiliary facilities that will be cleared with the assistance of Parañaque City that include traffic lights, plant boxes and drainage lines, as well as utility lines of Meralco, Maynilad, PLDT, Globe, Eastern Telecommunications, Sky Cable, Radius Telecoms and Cablelink.

Works along the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway (CAVITEx) will begin soon, following productive coordination with its operator, the Cavitex Infrastructure Corporation, the Philippine Reclamation Authority, the Toll Regulatory Board, and some remaining property owners, such as Puregold and Aseana City.

The DoTr partial operability section of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project is targeted to begin operations in the fourth quarter of 2021, with measures being taken for the rest of the line to Niog, Bacoor being operational in 2022. The project is expected to increase LRT-1’s ridership from 500,000 per day to 800,000 per day, and reduce travel time from Baclaran to Bacoor, Cavite from one to two hours to only 25 minutes.