The 2021 General Appropriations Act (GAA) has been allocated P1.23 billion for feasibility studies of 82 infrastructure projects nationwide under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said over 80 projects are now under feasibility studies, preliminary and detailed engineering design, economic analysis, technical studies, and traffic impact assessment.
In a statement, Villar said that “on top of thousands of ongoing projects under DPWH, 82 new high-impact projects are being studied so we can further improve road network across the country.”
Timely and extensive studies are crucial to successful project development “as they lay the foundation for the implementation or civil works phase,” he stressed.
Villar said 33 proposed projects in Luzon have received study funding which include the Samson Road to NLEX Connector Link Project under DPWH National Capital Region amounting to P36.9 million and the Alaminos-Lucap Bypass Road in Pangasinan worth P11 million.
The Cordillera Administrative Region has P94.4 million budget for seven projects which cover Mongol-Nalbu-Alimit-Nattum-Dulao Road and Boliwog-Abinuan-Alimit (Mayoyao) Road among others.
There are also four projects in the Cagayan Valley region worth P37.5 million covering Baybayog Bypass Road and Quezon-Delfin Abano Road; four in Central Luzon worth P60 million covering San Miguel-Cabanatuan Road, San Leonardo-San Antonio Bypass Road and the Concepcion-Mabalacat Bypass Road, among others.
The study funding also includes seven in the Calabarzon worth P126.3 million which include the Batangas Grand Terminal Flyover, Cavite-Batangas Bypass Road, and Tanza-Nasugbu Road; four in the Mimaropa region worth P68.6 million covering Sablayan-Sta. Cruz Diversion Road and Lubang Island Circumferential Road; and five projects in the Bicol region worth P47.1 million which include the Sipocot Bypass Road and Mabolo-Almeda Bypass Road, among others.
Villar said DPWH also allocated funding for studies of 19 projects in the Visayas composed of three in Region 6 costing P66.4 million covering Capiz-Aklan Coastal Road, among others; six in the Central Visayas costing P106.2 million which covers Pamplona-Tanjay City-Bayawan City Road and Mambaling South Boulevard; and 10 in Eastern Visayas worth P108.9 million including the Baybay-McArthur Road and Nabang-Gadgaran Diversion Road.
For Mindanao, 29 projects received appropriations for four projects in Region 9 costing P71.4 million which cover Sirawai-Tungawan Diversion Road in Zamboanga del Norte and Putik-Campo Island Diversion Road in Zamboanga City; 11 projects in Region 10 worth P160.4 million covering Iligan City-Magsaysay Agri-Industrial Road and Dansolihan-Camp Kibaritan-Languindingan Road;
Four projects in Region 11 costing P51.5 million; two in the Soccsargen region worth P51.5 million; and eight in the Caraga region.