ILOILO – Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. is thankful that the proposed expressway on Panay Island is among the high-impact infrastructure flagship projects (IFPs) of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
The Iloilo-Capiz-Aklan Expressway (ICAEx), with an estimated length of 210 kilometers and traversing 20 municipalities in the three provinces, is proposed to be a full-access controlled toll expressway with four lanes composed of elevated roadways, viaducts, a tunnel, and a long-span bridge.
It is seen to achieve the following:
* reduce the travel time between the three provinces
* eliminate congestion on the highways by avoiding chokepoints
* ease the delivery of goods due to an enhanced logistics network
* improve emergency response
* provide development opportunities for other tourism destinations on Panay Island
Explained Defensor, officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) -Public Private Partnership (PPP) Service led by director Alex G. Bote presented the proposed project on August 2022.
“Ang pagkasiling sa aton sang DPWH it is a top 10 sa priority sang aton President, that expressway from Leganes all the way to Caticlan, Aklan,” added Defensor.
ICAEx will connect with the proposed Panay-Guimaras-Negros Bridge, which has a funding commitment from the Korean Eximbank and whose detailed engineering is being prepared.
It will start in Barangay M.V. Hechanova in Leganes, Iloilo, near the approach of the proposed bridge to Guimaras, and will end in Malay, Aklan, which is the gateway to Boracay Island.
ICAEx has been included in the list of priority projects of the national government to be implemented through public-private partnerships (PPP).
Defensor wants the status of ICAEx
Defensor will soon visit the DPWH to ask about the status of the expressway, which he will present to the investors.
“Importante sa ila (investors) ang connectivity naton; it matters to them kon ano ang prospect sang aton nga expressway and also the mass transportation,” said Defensor.
The governor added it will be advantageous for the province if the proposed expressway connects with mass transport from the 1st District to Dumangas port so that transportation from southern towns going to the said port will be easier./PN
