The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Wednesday said it hopes to ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila through big-ticket transport infrastructure projects.
During the Bagong Pilipinas Townhall Meeting with the President, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the long-term gains and benefits from big ticket transport projects will eclipse the short-term inconveniences caused by such projects as these will help improve mobility and connectivity en masse.
“Our flagship road and rail infrastructures aim to alleviate traffic by offering comfortable, efficient and accessible public transport as a better alternative to private vehicle owners, thus lowering the number of road users,” Bautista said.
Among the DOTr’s infrastructure projects are the MRT-7, LRT-1 Cavite Extension, Metro Manila Subway, North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) System, Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, improvement of the EDSA Busway, and EDSA Greenways Project.
Bautista urged inter-agency coordination to help speed up the completion of these projects.
“The success of our transport projects hinges on their timely completion, requiring the cooperation of multiple agencies. It requires a cohesive effort with agencies,” he said.
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) board chaired by President Marcos on Tuesday streamlined the list of infrastructure flagship projects (IFPs). Under the “Build-Better-More” program, the government listed a total 185 IFPs amounting to P9.14 trillion.