By Emil G. Gamos
MALOLOS CITY, Bulacan, Jan. 9 (PNA) — The “Year of Green Wooden Sheep” seems like bringing more good tidings for the province as a new expressway of growth is in the offing.
Governor Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado on Friday announced that the provincial government is working closely with concerned national government agencies for the completion of a new highway that is seen to speed-up growth and development along agricultural towns in the eastern part of Bulacan linking them to booming areas in Central Luzon.
Dubbed as “The Roads to Rapid inclusive Growth”, Alvarado said that the Eastern Bulacan Expressway and New Towns Development Project, which is complimentary to the North Luzon East Expressway, is a comprehensive program designed to facilitate economic boom by providing access to once isolated or difficult-to-reach towns and cities.
He said that the farming towns of San Miguel, San Ildefonso and Rafael, known as the province’s “vegetable basket, ” will further be developed as their farm harvests that supplies 60 percent of the vegetable needs of Bulacan and Metro Manila, will have more easy access to bustling metropolis and markets in other parts of Central Luzon.
The proposed expressway is complimentary to the North Luzon Expressway and the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway in the north and the Manila-Cavite Expressway and South Luzon Expressway in the south.
The proposed highway will also have a train alignment for future plans.
The other objectives of the project is to have an alternative highway to the now heavily-clogged Maharlika highway that connects Metro Manila passing thru the eastern part of Bulacan to Nueva Ecija, Aurora and northern Luzon provinces.
Alvarado said that the new modern highway project will also boost socioeconomic development in the eastern corridor of Northern Luzon.
At present, Alvarado said that government planners at the provincial capitol have already identified the so called “growth area” where the highway will traverse with linkages to other booming municipalities in the first and second congressional districts as well as the bustling cities of Malolos, Meycauayan and San Jose del Monte.
Based on the proposed alignment route, the project will connect San Jose Del Monte City to the towns of San Rafael, Angat, San Miguel then to Gapan-West Cabanatuan City-Talavera-Llarera-San Jose City and Balaho in the province of Nueva Ecija.
Alvarado also said that the identified “growth areas” in eastern Bulacan will be designed into a “compact town,’ containing a town center, providing employment and services, living spaces, surrounded by well-developed agricultural lands ensuring the sustainability of the community.
He said that this new mega-highway in the eastern growth corridors of Bulacan and other provinces in Central and Northern Luzon will unlock economic potentials and increase economic output.
“It will attract industries that bring employment and livelihood aside from providing access to isolated areas in the said areas,” Alvarado said, adding that the project will also improve and supplement existing infrastructures. (PNA)