Revisions to the Laguna Lakeshore Road Network Project (LLRN)-Phase 1 were approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board during its meeting on July 15. The approved modifications include the development of connecting roads and interchanges in various locations in Brgy. Tunasan in Muntinlupa City as well as San Pedro, Binan, and Cabuyao, Laguna.
According to information released by NEDA and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the project, which was initially approved in 2021, aims to provide a road corridor to facilitate traffic flow from Metro Manila to the province of Laguna in Region IV-A.
The outline master plan showing Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the LLRN project. Image from DPWH.
LLRN-Phase 1 entails the construction of a 37.5-kilometer primary road along the west shoreline of Laguna de Bay, comprised of a 12.0-kilometer viaduct from Lower Bicutan, Taguig, to Tunasan, Muntinlupa; and a 25.5-kilometer shoreline viaduct and embankment from Tunasan, Muntinlupa, to Calamba, Laguna.
Phase 1 of the LLRN will connect Lower Bicutan, Taguig, to Calamba, Laguna. Image from DPWH.
LLRN Phase 1 is targeted for completion in 2027, with a cost of Php 175 Billion to be funded through a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), according to the DPWH.
NEDA added that the feasibility for Phase 2 of the LLRN is ongoing, and is expected to be completed by December this year. The second phase of the project will traverse the eastern portion of Laguna Lake from Binangonan, Rizal to Calamba, Laguna and will have an approximate mainline total length of 71.5 kilometers.
The project, originally proposed as the Laguna Lakeshore Expressway Dike during the Aquino administration, has been criticized by fisherfolk and citizen organizations, who fear that they will be displaced and deprived of their livelihoods. In 2022, DPWH confirmed in an LB Times article that they are coordinating with stakeholders in preparation for the first phase of the project.
According to a project document released by the DPWH, the LLRN mainline will incorporate fishery basins in order to reduce impact on fisherfolk. According to the DPWH, all barangays along the shoreline are proposed to have at least one fishery basin at the minimum, or more depending on demand. These fishery basins must be “useable all year around to avoid excessive relocation to existing fisherfolks,” the report added. However, the DPWH conceded that there might still be some fisherfolks and that need to be relocated.
The LLRN mainline will incorporate fishery basins in order to reduce impact on fisherfolk, says the DPWH. Image from DPWH.
Aside from the LLRN project, the NEDA Board also approved the negotiated parameters, terms, and conditions (PTCs) for the Bohol-Panglao International Airport Project, changes to the NEDA Board-approved negotiated PTCs for the Laguindingan International Airport Project, and an additional USD 30 million loan to support the Project Development and Monitoring Facility (PDMF).
With inputs from NEDA Media Release