Bidding for Maharlika Highway rehabilitation targeted for May; construction by June or July

THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said it hopes to start the bidding process for the rehabilitation of the Maharlika Highway in May, with construction due to start by June.

Public Works Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon said in a briefing on Monday that the timetable was set with an eye towards minimizing disruption for the Easter travel period.

The DPWH’s rehabilitation plan includes an initial phase of removing obstructions, undertaking clearing works and completing temporary patches of uneven road surfaces before Easter.

“Our target is to be as free from obstruction as soon as possible… By April or May, I think we can start the bidding,” he said.

Mr. Dizon said the procurement process and plan are being finalized.

“Only big contractors can join the bidding….  rehabilitation will begin, I think a month and a half after that, maybe around June or July. The plan for the most problematic areas of Maharlika is being ironed out right now,” he said.

The DPWH has also engaged foreign consultants to help design the rehabilitation plan, to ensure that suitable new technologies can be incorporated in the build to ensure the new road complies with international highway standards.

“I do not mean to demean small contractors. But for major highways like Maharlika,  we have to use modern technology. The problem is, only the big contractors have the financial capacity and technological capacity to use modern technology because they are expensive. We will require that whoever bids for Maharlika Highway needs to have (modern) equipment,” Mr. Dizon said.

Mr. Dizon said earlier this month that small, well-connected contractors who built many substandard flood control projects are “part of the problem” and expressed a preference for major construction companies like EEI Corp. and D.M. Consunji, Inc. (DMCI) in awarding major government projects.

The Maharlika Highway, also known as the Pan-Philippine Highway, connects northern Luzon to the Zamboanga Peninsula, with ferry crossings linking Bicol and Samar as well as Leyte and Surigao.

Aside from the Maharlika Highway, the DPWH is also conducting the rehabilitation of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA).

The first phase of the EDSA rehabilitation project is on track for completion by May, Mr. Dizon said. — Ashley Erika O. Jose