By HENRY EMPEÑO | 

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – With a P1.6-billion infrastructure budget, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is now stepping up the repair and rehabilitation of roads and other facilities that were built here when Subic was still an American military base.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma, the Subic agency is now simultaneously undertaking four road repair projects, two slope rehabilitation projects, and one drainage system improvement project to fix ageing US Navy-era structures.

“We have a lot to catch up on because there wasn’t much rehabilitation projects done since Subic became a free port in 1992,” Eisma said on Thursday.

“We are doing several projects concurrently, not only because we are hosting the upcoming Southeast Asian Games, but more so because we need to redevelop Subic and keep it sustainable as an area for investments,” she added.

The ongoing rehabilitation projects are clustered in Subic’s Central Business District, major access roads, and industrial areas.

The SBMA Engineering Department said there are 13 construction projects worth a total of P733.4 million that are in various stages of implementation. These include the repair of the El Kabayo Road and a slope rehabilitation project in the same area that were completed early this year.

The biggest project is the 2018 road rehabilitation package which costs a total of P274.54 million and covers areas such as the Malawaan Park, Dewey Avenue, Waterfront Road, road to the New Container Terminal, Rizal Highway, Maritan Highway, as well as several roads in residential areas.

The 2018 road rehabilitation package, which will be completed on December 21 this year, is expected to ease the traffic in some of the busiest roads in the Freeport, Eisma said.

Another major project is the P225.48-million 2019 Road Rehabilitation Project, which is currently in the mobilization and as-stake survey stage. This will consist of repairs along main roads like Argonaut Highway, San Bernardino Road, roads to Leyte Wharf and Sattler Pier, Rizal Highway, Boton Highway, Binictican Drive, and the approaches to Kalaklan Bridge and 14th Street Bridge.

Eisma said the SBMA is now “rebuilding the U.S. Navy-era roads to take in more cargo traffic because of the growing transhipment operations here in Subic.”

In particular, the SBMA is eyeing to rehabilitate the Naval Supply Depot (NSD) Road, an area that has been battered by heavy trucks that carry tons of shipment from ships. The ongoing second phase of the NSD road project, which has a budget of P85.26 million, is set for completion on December 27 this year.

The project consists of repairs of roads leading to the NSD Compound where most of grain and bulk shipments are handled.

Aside from road repairs, other on-going projects included some building renovation, construction of a fitness center and sentry kiosks, and rehabilitation of rubble mound for barrette light at the Subic airport.

Eisma also said that the SBMA has allocated P908.7 million for more upcoming rehabilitation works. These include the P442.7-million Magsaysay Bridge project, which will replace the span leading to the Subic Bay Freeport’s main gate.

Other projects in the pipeline are the P320-million NSD Road Rehabilitation Network Phase 3 project; a P3.6-million drainage and flood control project near the SBMA Dispensary; slope rehabilitation at Aparri Road worth P81.4 million; the P7-million construction of perimeter fence from Kalaklan to Kalayaan; and the P54-million Perimeter Road rehabilitation project.