DPWH targets to complete 18-km Marawi Transcentral Road this December 2020

MANILA - The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is optimistic that the on-going rehabilitation of 18.97 kilometer Marawi Transcentral Road in Lanao Del Sur will be completed by December 2020 despite nearly two (2) months of suspended construction activities due to COVID-19 pandemic.

DPWH Undersecretary for Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations & Technical Services Emil K. Sadain said that progress of works for the 18.97-kilometer Marawi Transcentral Road Project under stage 1 of the reconstruction and development plan for Greater Marawi has restarted to accelerate with the resumption on May 4, 2020 of construction activities.

Funded under the P970 Million grant from Government of Japan thru Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the ongoing Marawi Transcentral Road Project which is clustered into three (3) contract packages has made remarkable progress since work resumed towards achieving the completion goal. meeting with UPMO Project Directors, Project Director Virgilio Castillo and Project Manager Francisco Sawali of UPMORoads Management Cluster 1 (Bilateral) exhorted the Marawi road contractors to step-up construction activities and compensate for the time lost during area lockdown to improve work progress and eventually advance the completion of the project which is expected by June 2021.

Undersecretary Sadain, DPWH Focal Person in the Inter-Agency Task Force Bangon Marawi, said that DPWH UPMO-RMC1 immediately coordinated with the contractors upon lifting of local community lockdown in Marawi City to resume work, subject to compliance with DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar’s issued construction safety guidelines for the implementation of infrastructure projects

Based on latest accomplishment report, contract package 1A is now 24 percent completed with 5.6 kilometer of single lane paved road and 480 linear meter of concrete lined canal.

The CP-1A under contractors Unimasters Conglomeration, Inc./M.M.A. Achiever Const. & Dev’t Corp./CDH Construction/Flying Seven Construction (JV) cover the two (2) sections of BacongIligan-Marawi Road with a total length of 9.41 kilometers.

Five (5) road sections of BacongPoona-Marantao-Marawi Road, GMA Terminal Access, Marawi-Cadre-New Capitol Road, Marcos Boulevard, and Idarus Road, with combined length of 5.45 kilometers comprises CP-1B which is 46 percent completed by contractors Al Hussein Const. / N.B. Sabo Const. (JV).

On the otherhand, CP-2 with a total length of 4.11 kilometers covering two (2) road sections of MSU-GMA Terminal Road and Lumidong-Amaipakpak Road is 35 percent completed by contractor Kouzbary Builders with 4.58 kilometers of single lane concrete pavement and 400 lineal meters of paved shoulder.

In line with the efforts for the recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation of Marawi City, DPWH will also soon implement other significant development projects in Marawi City and its surrounding areas to ensure better mobility that will propel economic activity Undersecretary Sadain reported that under detailed engineering design stage is the P12.86 Billion Marawi Transcentral Roads Phase 3 (stage 3) with a total length of 23.9 kilometers together with the 19.9 kilometers Marawi City Ring Road to be funded by signed loan agreement with JICA under the Road Network Development Project in ConflictAffected Areas in Mindanao or RNDPCAAM.

RNDP-CAAM also includes the construction of new roads to link inaccessible communities of Maguindanao Province that will contribute to the consolidation of peace in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region particularly the 35 kilometers Parang - Balabagan Road, 7 kilometers Parang East Diversion Road, and 16.8 kilometers Manuangan-Parang Road.

Also under detailed engineering design stage is the P6.84 Billion Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan for the Transcentral Roads Phase 4 (stage 2) with a total length of 21.87 kilometers including construction of 1.6 kilometer Malabang Viaduct, construction of three (3) bridges along Rorogagus Road, and five (5) other projects listed under the Bangon Marawi Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan.

Data gathering for the feasibility studies of two (2) lanes Malabang Viaduct is on-going with detailed engineering design expected to commence by November 2020. (DPWH)