New flyover and road to lessen travel time from city to airport and southern towns

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Traveling from Iloilo City to Iloilo International Airport and to southern towns of Iloilo will be faster and more comfortable with the construction of Ungka II flyover and Iloilo River North Bank Road (Iloilo Sunset Boulevard) by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Regional Office 6.

The infrastructures are implemented through the initiative of Ilonggo Senator Franklin M. Drilon, who led the recent topping out (Ungka II flyover) and groundbreaking (Iloilo Sunset Boulevard) ceremonies with DPWH-6 Regional Director Tiburcio DL Canlas.

Also present in the said events were local executives of Iloilo City and Iloilo province, and DPWH Assistant Regional Director Jose Al V. Fruto.

During the project briefing, Director Canlas the said Ungka II flyover involves the construction of a 453.7-lineal meter, 17-span, 4-lane flyover on bored pile foundation including approaches.

“This flyover aims to decongest local traffic by accommodating the rising number of trucks and light vehicles from Iloilo City to Iloilo International Airport. This will also contribute to the development of the local economy by easing traffic flow and lessening travel time within the locality,” Canlas said.

“Specifically, this will address traffic congestion at the junction of Pres, Corazon C. Aquino Avenue (Iloilo Circumferential Road C-1) and Sen. Benigno S. Aquino, Jr. Avneue (Iloilo Diversion Road), reducing travel time from Iloilo City to Iloilo Airport from 40-45 minutes to only 20 minutes,” he added.

Senator Drilon said the ₱680-million Ungka II Flyover, a multi-year project which started in 2019, is already 82 percent completed.

“It will open in about 8 weeks’ time, before June 30, we will have it fully operated. We fought hard to secure the funding for Ungka II flyover and the Aganan flyover, located at the junction of Sen. Benigno Aquino, Jr. Avenue and Felix Gorriceta, Jr. Avenue in Pavia,” Drilon said.

“Aganan (flyover) will be finished in the first quarter of next year. The two flyovers are the biggest flyovers in the country, outside of Manila, that is, almost a kilometer of flyovers here in the City of Iloilo. Together, these structures will help ease the traffic congestion in the city of Iloilo,” he added.

The Iloilo Sunset Boulevard, on the hand, is a new road opening for a sustainable and greener Iloilo. This will help decongest heavy traffic from Iloilo City to various towns in southern Iloilo, and vice versa.

“This ₱1.4-billion new road opening, involves construction of 4.95-kilometer road from Brgy. Tabucan in Mandurriao, Iloilo City to Brgy. Cagban in Oton, Iloilo. This also includes provision of solar LED lights, median island, slope protection with walkway (esplanade), drainage structures, and sidewalks,” Director Canlas said.

“This will definitely have bike lanes, like the one we made in Iloilo esplanade. These bikes lanes will be for the people of Iloilo,” Director Canlas added.

Iloilo River North Bank Road, or the Iloilo Sunset Boulevard, will complement the east-to-west connectivity of the city to avert future traffic congestion along Iloilo-Antique Road.

“This will ease accessibility and connectivity, and will boost further development in the city in the fields of tourism, economy and infrastructures, which will subsequently improve the lives of the people of Iloilo City and southern Iloilo,” Director Canlas stressed. (DPWH-6)