Philippines: Metro Manila Bridges Project

Sovereign Project | 52181-001

The proposed loan (the Project) will finance the construction of 3 new bridges crossing Marikina River as part of the government's effort to solve the increasingly severe traffic problem of Metro Manila, the National Capital Region (NCR) of the Philippines. The Project will include a component to strengthen the capacity of the executing agency in planning, design, management, and operation and maintenance (O&M) of bridges and crossing structures using a holistic approach, including by factoring climate change and disaster risk considerations.

Project Details

  • Project Officer
    Zhao, Gengwen
    Southeast Asia Department
    Request for information
  • Country/Economy
    Philippines
  • Sector
    • Transport
Project Name Metro Manila Bridges Project
Project Number 52181-001
Country / Economy Philippines
Project Status Active
Project Type / Modality of Assistance Loan
Source of Funding / Amount
Loan 4168-PHI: Metro Manila Bridges Project
Ordinary capital resources US$ 175.10 million
Strategic Agendas Environmentally sustainable growth
Inclusive economic growth
Drivers of Change Gender Equity and Mainstreaming
Governance and capacity development
Sector / Subsector

Transport / Urban roads and traffic management
Gender Equity and Mainstreaming Effective gender mainstreaming
Description The proposed loan (the Project) will finance the construction of 3 new bridges crossing Marikina River as part of the government's effort to solve the increasingly severe traffic problem of Metro Manila, the National Capital Region (NCR) of the Philippines. The Project will include a component to strengthen the capacity of the executing agency in planning, design, management, and operation and maintenance (O&M) of bridges and crossing structures using a holistic approach, including by factoring climate change and disaster risk considerations.
Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy

The continuous economic development and urbanization in Metro Manila has brought along heavy traffic congestion that causes substantial loss of time and opportunities for commuters and businesses, respectively. With a total road length of 4,882 km (1,159 km national roads and 3723 km local roads), Metro Manila has a well-articulated trunk road network comprising radial (R-1 to R-10) and circumferential (C-1 to C-5) in its metropolis, with interchanges providing grade separations at several intersections of the trunk roads. However, the current traffic demand of 12.8 million trips per day is overwhelming the capacity of the road network. Metro Manila nowadays only has 1 km of road per 424 motor vehicles, and majority of commuters in Metro Manila travel at 10 km per hour on average. It was estimated that the country lost PHP 3.5 billion per day in 2017, due to Metro Manila traffic, and the loss was projected to be PHP 5.4 billion per day in 2035 if no action is taken.

One of the major factors contributing to the inefficiency of Metro Manila''s road network is the inadequate capacity of the existing 30 bridges crossing its major waterways, namely Pasig River, Marikina River and Manggahan Floodway. These bridges currently accommodate 1.3 million vehicles per day. The traffic survey conducted by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) during December 2016-January 2017, shows that (i) the overall level of service of the bridges crossing Pasig River is 'F_, which means 'forced or flow breakdown_,_and (ii) the overall level of service of the bridges crossing Marikina River and Manggahan Floodway is 'E_, which means 'operation at or near capacity and an unstable level_. Therefore, it is critical that additional crossing structures are built over these waterways to decongest the existing bridges, hence mitigating the risk of overloading them. This will help extend the life of existing bridges and reduce their maintenance cost.

In line with the government's Roadmap for Transport Development for Metro Manila and Its Surrounding Areas to alleviate the traffic congestion in Metro Manila, partly caused by the constrained capacity of the existing bridges, and the Strategic Framework to Accelerate Infrastructure Development in the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022,_the Project will construct 3 new bridges. It is expected that the construction of the new bridges under the project will decongest the Pasig-Marikina corridor. These new bridges will be designed to be resilient to natural disasters such as flooding and the adverse impacts of global warming. Despite the very limited space available in highly urbanized area of Metro Manila, the locations and alignments of the new bridges were carefully selected to ensure that (i) they contribute significant impact on traffic decongestion; and (ii) they create minimum social and resettlement impacts in the project area.
Impact

Efficiency of the transport sector enhanced to sustain economic growth and increase competitiveness (Philippines Development Plan, 20172022)
Project Outcome
Description of Outcome

Efficiency of road travel in Marikina River and Manggahan Floodway areas improved.
Progress Toward Outcome The project was declared effective on 10 February 2022.
Implementation Progress
Description of Project Outputs

Three bridges crossing the Marikina River constructed

Capacity of DPWH for bridge O&M strengthened
Status of Implementation Progress (Outputs, Activities, and Issues) Not yet due.Not yet due.Not yet due.Not yet due.Not yet due.Not yet due.Not yet due.
Geographical Location City of Marikina, City of Pasig, Quezon City
Safeguard Categories
Environment B
Involuntary Resettlement A
Indigenous Peoples C
Summary of Environmental and Social Aspects
Environmental Aspects A single initial environmental examination (IEE) report was prepared for all three (3) bridges. The IEE includes an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) that outlines measures to avoid or mitigate anticipated environment impacts during project pre-construction, construction, and operation stages._The EMP will be included in the bid documents. The mitigation measures contained in the EMP are general in nature and are applicable to all bridges._As part of the EMP, an Environmental Monitoring Plan (EMoP) was prepared to guide all environmental quality measurement activities under the Project to assess the effectiveness of the mitigation measures in protecting air and water ambient qualities and the control of noise and vibration levels by comparing to applicable national standards. The EMoP also covers the status of tree planting to be undertaken by the Contractors as compensation to the trees that will be cleared under the project. Detailed construction environmental management plan (CEMP) will be prepared for each bridge by the respective Contractors that provides further details on the location and schedule of the mitigation measures, among others. The CEMP will be based on the EMP and EMoP approved by the DPWH and ADB. The CEMP preparation will be guided by the construction supervision consultant (CSC)-environmental specialist and the BMC-UPMO and subject to the approval of the DPWH and ADB. The BMC-UPMO with the assistance from the Environment and Social Safeguards Division (ESSD) will be responsible for the overall compliance of the project to all the provisions of the IEE, including its environmental management plan (EMP) and EmoP, and overall compliance to ADB SPS 2009, national and local government unit's regulations. The BMC-UPMO will be supported by a Construction Supervision Consultant -Environment Specialist. The Environmental Compliance certificates for the three (3) bridges were issued in December 2021.
Involuntary Resettlement A draft resettlement plan has been prepared for each of the three bridges following ADB's Safeguard Policy Statement (2009) and the Philippine laws and regulations. The plans have been disclosed on the ADB website._Surveys to assess involuntary resettlement impacts were undertaken by DPWH during project preparation, together with two rounds of consultations with affected persons in each project-affected area. The project requires the acquisition of an estimated 12.7 hectares of land, of which about three quarters are private land and one quarter is public land. An estimated 86 households (about 344 persons), 13 small businesses, and 16 employees of displaced businesses will be affected. Among the 86 affected households, an estimated 80 households will be physically displaced, of which 60 do not own the affected house and 20 are vulnerable households. Replacement cost will be used to compensate all losses. People whose livelihoods are severely affected will be provided with livelihood rehabilitation assistance. Among the affected persons, those who will be physically displaced will be provided with assistance to ensure that they have access to legal and affordable housing. A grievance redress mechanism will be established to address community concerns and complaints._The draft resettlement plans will be updated based on the detailed engineering design, a full measurement survey, the replacement cost, and further consultations with affected persons. DPWH has overall responsibility for updating the resettlement plans, approving the updated resettlement plan and obtaining ADB clearance, securing resources, overseeing resettlement plan implementation and monitoring, liaising with relevant government offices, and disclosing both the draft and the final resettlement plans to affected persons in an understandable and accessible manner. DPWH will not award any works contract until the resettlement plan for the relevant project area has been prepared by DPWH and cleared by ADB, and will ensure that no construction commences, or physical or economic displacement occurs, until (i) compensation at full replacement cost and other entitlements listed in the relevant resettlement plans have been paid or provided to the displaced persons, (ii) comprehensive income and livelihood restoration programs has been established following the resettlement plans, and (iii) DPWH has submitted a resettlement compliance report to ADB.
Indigenous Peoples Due diligence during project preparation confirmed that the project areas do not include any ancestral domains or indigenous peoples. During the updating of the resettlement plans, further due diligence will be undertaken to confirm the categorization with respect to indigenous peoples
Stakeholder Communication, Participation, and Consultation
During Project Design During project preparation, consultants assisting DPWH held two rounds of consultations in the project area. Consultations took the form of stakeholder and public consultation meetings, plus focus group discussions with women and vulnerable groups. These participatory exercises informed affected people and the broader population about the project and gave them the opportunity to provide feedback. A stakeholder communication strategy has been prepared to guide ongoing consultations and participation requirements throughout project implementation. It focuses on enabling vulnerable and severely affected persons to participate in the design of the mitigation and restorative measures that affect them. At least two community consultation meetings in local languages will be held per bridge during construction.
During Project Implementation
Business Opportunities
Consulting Services Two (2) consultancy contracts will be undertaken through Quality-and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS) with a quality-cost ratio of 90:10.
Procurement All procurement of goods, works and services will be undertaken in accordance with ADB's Procurement Policy (2017, as amended from time to time) and the Procurement Regulations for ADB Borrowers: Goods, Works, Nonconsulting and Consulting Services (2017, as amended from time to time). The procurement of works will comprise three (3) separate packages, all will be undertaken through Open Competitive Bidding (OCB), single-stage: one-envelope, internationally advertised.
Responsible ADB Officer Zhao, Gengwen
Responsible ADB Department Southeast Asia Department
Responsible ADB Division Transport and Communications Division, SERD
Executing Agencies
Dept. of Public Works & Highways
Timetable
Concept Clearance 19 Oct 2018
Fact Finding 26 Apr 2021 to 05 May 2021
MRM 28 Jun 2021
Approval 14 Dec 2021
Last Review Mission -
Last PDS Update 01 Dec 2022

Loan 4168-PHI

Milestones
Approval Signing Date Effectivity Date Closing
Original Revised Actual
14 Dec 2021 16 Dec 2021 10 Feb 2022 30 Jun 2027 - -
Financing Plan Loan Utilization
Total (Amount in US$ million) Date ADB Others Net Percentage
Project Cost 247.50 Cumulative Contract Awards
ADB 175.10 01 Dec 2022 0.00 0.00 0%
Counterpart 72.40 Cumulative Disbursements
Cofinancing 0.00 01 Dec 2022 0.00 0.00 0%
Status of Covenants
Category Sector Safeguards Social Financial Economic Others
Rating - Satisfactory Satisfactory - - Satisfactory

Project Data Sheets (PDS) contain summary information on the project or program. Because the PDS is a work in progress, some information may not be included in its initial version but will be added as it becomes available. Information about proposed projects is tentative and indicative.

The Access to Information Policy (AIP) recognizes that transparency and accountability are essential to development effectiveness. It establishes the disclosure requirements for documents and information ADB produces or requires to be produced.

The Accountability Mechanism provides a forum where people adversely affected by ADB-assisted projects can voice and seek solutions to their problems and report alleged noncompliance of ADB's operational policies and procedures.

In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of, or reference to, a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area.

Safeguard Documents See also: Safeguards
Safeguard documents provided at the time of project/facility approval may also be found in the list of linked documents provided with the Report and Recommendation of the President.

Title Document Type Document Date
Metro Manila Bridges Project: Bridge 1 - Marcos Highway-St. Mary Avenue Bridge Resettlement Plan Resettlement Plans Oct 2021
Metro Manila Bridges Project: Bridge 2 - Homeowner's Drive-A. Bonifacio Bridge Resettlement Plan Resettlement Plans Oct 2021
Metro Manila Bridges Project: Bridge 3 - Kabayani St.-Matandang Balara Bridge Resettlement Plan Resettlement Plans Oct 2021
Metro Manila Bridges Project: Bridge 3 - Marikina-Kabayani St.-Matandang Balara Bridge Resettlement Plan Resettlement Plans Jun 2021
Metro Manila Bridges Project: Bridge 1 - Marcos Highway-St. Mary Bridge Resettlement Plan Resettlement Plans Jun 2021
Metro Manila Bridges Project: Bridge 2 - Homeowner's Drive-A. Bonifacio Ave. Bridge Resettlement Plan Resettlement Plans Jun 2021
Metro Manila Bridges Project: Initial Environmental Examination Initial Environmental Examination Jun 2021

Evaluation Documents See also: Independent Evaluation

None currently available.

Related Publications

None currently available.

The Access to Information Policy (AIP) establishes the disclosure requirements for documents and information ADB produces or requires to be produced in its operations to facilitate stakeholder participation in ADB's decision-making. For more information, refer to the Safeguard Policy Statement, Operations Manual F1, and Operations Manual L3.

Requests for information may also be directed to the InfoUnit.

Tenders

Tender Title Type Status Posting Date Deadline
Consulting Services for the Construction Supervision of the Metro Manila Bridges Project (MMBP), under ADB Financing (ADB Loan No. 4168-PHI) Firm - Consulting Closed 21 Sep 2022 19 Oct 2022

Contracts Awarded

No contracts awarded for this project were found

Procurement Plan

Title Document Type Document Date
Metro Manila Bridges Project: Procurement Plan Procurement Plans Oct 2021