The Department of Public Works and Highways District Engineer Nestor I. Cleofas of Quezon II DEO led a groundbreaking ceremony for the new underpass road project along Daang Maharlika Highway, MSR Diversion road and Lucena-Tayabas-Mauban Port road on February 21, 2017.
The 490 meter long road project aims to primarily decongest the traffic in the Manila-Bicol route.
According to DE Cleofas during the briefing as he showed the concept of the project, “With the completion of underpass, at least 70% of the total vehicles and motorists would pass by the underpass, and the remaining 30% would be left traversing the service road. Chokepoints would then eventually be avoided.”
DE Cleofas also added that the first phase of the underpass road project with a budget of P100 million will be completed in eight (8) months, and when the remaining P130 million will be released, he assumed that the project can then be completed by the middle of 2018.
Secretary Mark A. Villar also said, as he spoke in front of the guests and invitees of the said event, that the project is among the traffic decongesting programs of the present administration. “There will be more than 200 diversion roads across the country, North to South. Not only will there be a high-speed highway network from Lucena to Bicol, there will also be a plan for Quezon-Bicol expressway.”
The ceremony was attended by DPWH officials and some of the local officials from neighboring towns including Lucena City Mayor Dondon Alcala and Congressman Vicente “Kulit” J. Alcala.