Cebu to build P5-B ‘trans-axial’ highway
By Daxim Lucas
Inquirer
Last updated 02:02am (Mla time) 12/07/2006
CEBU CITY -- Cebu province is showcasing its ability to host a global media event to try and attract foreign investors by announcing that it will soon embark on the construction of a P5-billion “trans-axial” highway.
Malaysia’s UEM Group has expressed interest in the project, but provincial governor Gwendolyn Garcia wants to cast a wider net in search for a suitable contractor that will work on the island-long road network in a build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme.
“We want the private sector to fund this, which is why we’re opening the bidding to other interested parties,” Garcia said at the opening of the Cebu International Convention Center on Wednesday.
The provincial government is pulling all stops to impress foreign visitors with its infrastructure and economic prowess during the 12th ASEAN Summit.
Garcia described the project as a “trans-axial highway” that would connect the province’s northernmost town of Daanbantayan to Santander in the south.
The highway will bisect the cigar-shaped island, and all 47 towns and six cities will be connected to it via feeder roads, she said.
Since it will be a BOT project, the winning contractor will operate it as a toll road, the governor said.
She gave no details on the length of the concession the government will grant, but the national government in recent years has awarded other toll road operators 30-year contracts.
Garcia said representatives of the UEM Group approached her at a recent infrastructure convention in Hong Kong to express their desire to build the highway.
The UEM Group, originally United Engineers Malaysia Berhad, is a construction conglomerate that operates the Coastal Road toll highway linking Metro Manila to Bacoor town in neighboring Cavite province.
For the Cebu project, Garcia said the government planned to maximize the potential of the highway, including the possibility of it having multiple lanes.
“We want a highway that will be functional for the next 30 years,” she said, explaining that it will have to take into account the projected growth in traffic volume over the years.
Unta madayun ni oi.. nice na project!
Cebu to build P5-B ‘trans-axial’ highway
Originally Posted by thadzonline
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