{"data":{"news":{"items":[{"title":"Safe, disaster-resilient elevated walkways to be built in Manila","date":"2020-12-15 10:59:03","id":2588,"author":"","blurb":"","blurb_image_uid":"https://dxfpracgmlczp.cloudfront.net/2020/12/1608005830759_116521-edsa-walkway-concept-final2.jpg","blurb_expanded_image_uid":null,"article":"\n\t\n\n\n

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a US$123 million loan to help the Philippines build safe, disaster-resilient elevated walkways for pedestrians along Manila’s most congested thoroughfare, the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA).

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The EDSA Greenways Project will help the government construct 5 km of covered walkways, which will be linked to mass transit stations along EDSA, namely the Balintawak, Cubao, Guadalupe, and Taft stations. The 5-m-wide structures, equipped with elevators and monitoring systems, will be easily accessible for pedestrians, including the elderly, pregnant women, young children, and people with disabilities.

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“The EDSA Greenways Project is an integral part of the government’s transport strategy to make Metro Manila a better place to live, work, and visit,” said Hiroaki Yamaguchi, ADB’s Southeast Asia transport and communications director. “This project is an important part of our contribution to helping make that vision a reality for Filipinos.”

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The project is part of the local government’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ infrastructure development programme aimed at boosting public spending on infrastructure to attract investments, provide improved connectivity, and spur economic growth.

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“This project will encourage more Filipinos to switch from private vehicles to public transport, which is being strengthened with the North-South Commuter railway, the Metro Manila subway, and the upgraded Light Rail/Metro Rail Transit systems. The project, to be built with cutting-edge technology for cantilever overhead walkways, will provide safe, inclusive, and equitable access for commuters while lowering CO2 emissions,” said Shuji Kimura, ADB’s senior transport specialist for Southeast Asia.

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Metro Manila is considered the most congested city in Asia in terms of population, land area, and length of road networks, based on ADB’s 2019 Asian Development Outlook. Annual average daily traffic on EDSA reached 405,882 vehicles in 2019, up about 6% from 383,828 in 2018, according to the Metro Manila Development Authority, a government agency.

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ADB said the project will support Metro Manila’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. It is expected to create much-needed jobs during the construction period, with Php3 billion (US$61 million) to be spent on local raw materials. The civil works contracts for the project are planned to be awarded during the first half of 2021.

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The project, including improving existing walkways and building new elevated walkways, is expected to cause minimal traffic disruptions. According to ADB, an international consulting firm has been hired to work on the project’s feasibility study with the Department of Transportation, with funding from ADB’s Infrastructure Preparation and Innovation Facility.

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The project will also be supported by a US$15 million loan from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Catalytic Green Finance Facility, which will be administered by ADB.

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Image: ADB

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Many engineering and construction companies in Asia have won the Year in Infrastructure (YII) 2020 Awards for their work on various projects across the region. This award event, organised by infrastructure engineering software company Bentley Systems, took place on 21 October during the YII 2020 Conference – which was held virtually for the first time.

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The annual award programme honours the extraordinary work of Bentley users advancing design, construction, and operations of infrastructure throughout the world. Sixteen independent jury panels selected the 57 finalists from over 400 nominations, which were submitted by more than 330 organisations from more than 60 countries. In total, there are 19 YII 2020 Awards winners and 14 Special Recognition awardees.

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Geotechnical Engineering, Building and Campuses categories

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One of the winners is Golder Associates Hong Kong Ltd, in the Geotechnical Engineering category. The company has been recognised for its work on the Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link Tunnel, Southern Landfall, Hong Kong.

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As part of Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link (TMCLKL), a strategic link that will connect Hong Kong, Golder Associates was tasked with designing and constructing a 5-km dual two-lane subsea tunnel. This US$2.33 billion tunnel will be the deepest and longest subsea road tunnel ever built in the city. The company needed software that would support the complex geotechnical conditions and high water pressure on the project.

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Golder Associates used Bentley’s geotechnical applications to help construct the tunnels with alluvium overlain, marine deposits, and thick sand fill. With Plaxis 3D, the company optimised barrette design to use 52 less barrettes, shortening 46 of them by 2.8 m, saving US$16 million, reducing construction time by two months and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1,500 t. The link shortens travel time by 20 minutes and ensures economic growth in the area.

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In the Building and Campuses category, Voyants Solutions Private Limited has been named the winner. The company has been recognised for its work on the Bangladesh Regional Waterway Transport Project 1 – Shasanghat (New Dhaka) IWT Terminal.

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While Bangladesh has seen a growth in passenger transport, the inland waterway transport (IWT) needed improvement to efficiently transport 157 million passengers annually. Therefore, Voyants Solutions was tasked with developing four major IWT terminals to provide a low-cost, eco-friendly transportation system. With major terminals in cities throughout the country, the company needed to improve collaboration to meet the client’s 30-day design completion goal.

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Adopting ProjectWise, Voyants Solutions monitored survey information and transferred it into the design platform. OpenBuildings Designer and STAAD helped develop the architecture and structure design, respectively. The company’s initial design formulation was completed in about a week, leaving only 21 days for the detailed design. By using Bentley applications, Voyants Solutions submitted the completed design in 18 days, three days ahead of schedule, with a team of eight rather than the usual 15. The applications increased ROI by 50%. The models will be converted to 4D models to streamline construction.

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Roads and Highways, Bridges categories

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Sichuan Road & Bridge (Group) Co Ltd is the winner in the Roads and Highways category. The company has been recognised for its BIM technology application on the Chengdu-Yibin Expressway project in Chengdu, Sichuan, China.

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The 155-km Chengdu-Yibin Expressway contains 154 bridges, 17 interchanges, four tunnels, and five service areas. Sichuan Road & Bridge (SRB) was required to integrate artificial intelligence and a cooperative vehicle infrastructure system, follow strict landscape requirements, and construct the project within three years. With so many controlled works and structures on a long road, the company could not execute the design and construction of this estimated CNY 24.6 billion project without reality modelling and BIM software.

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SRB developed a construction management platform based on Bentley technology. The company optimised drawings and organised material inspection and construction processes to cut costs. It also reduced resource hours by providing greater visibility into construction methods among various disciplines. To create a safer roadway, SRB used BIM technology to inspect and correct traffic line-of-sight problems. Employing Bentley technology, the company saved CNY 23.3 million and cut 124 days off construction.

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Another winner is Chongqing Communications Planning, Survey & Design Institute Co Ltd, Guizhou Communications Construction Group Co Ltd, Guizhou Bridge Construction Group Co Ltd, in the Bridges category. The company has been recognised for its digital design and construction work on the Taihong Yangtze River Bridge project in Chongqing, China.

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The construction of the 1,436-m CNY 900 million Taihong Yangtze River suspension bridge needed to push the boundaries of engineering data to improve construction quality and safety. Chongqing Communications Planning, Survey & Design Institute (CCPSD) realised that for a bridge of this size and complexity, traditional, paper-based data exchange and construction methods would not work. So, the company proposed BIM application to enable intelligent management.

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CCPSD used ContextCapture and MicroStation for 3D BIM and reality modelling, reducing bridge design time by 300 hours and saving CNY 5,000 in costs. Establishing digital workflows and simulating construction helped the company complete the design 30 days ahead of schedule and shorten the construction schedule by approximately 47 days. The virtual 3D model enabled CCPSD to integrate and manage engineering information throughout construction and the entire project lifecycle, promoting industrialisation of the bridge infrastructure industry.
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\nSome other winners and project highlights from the Asia region include:

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1). PT. Waskita Karya (Persero) Tbk, which received a Special Recognition Award in the Comprehensiveness in Transportation Digital Twins category, for its work on the railway facility for Manggarai to Jatinegara: Package A - Phase II (Main Line II) in Jakarta, Indonesia.

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2). Powerchina Huadong Engineering Corporation Limited, the winner in the Rail and Transit category. The company has been recognised for its digital technology application in the construction of Shaoxing Urban Rail Transit Line 1 in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China.

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3). Shanghai Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Co Ltd, the winner in the Power Generation category. The company has been recognised for its work on the Shanghai Electric Environmental Protection Group Technology Renovation and Expansion Project for Nantong Thermoelectric Waste Incineration in Nantong, Jiangsu, China.

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The full winners and finalists can be found here.

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Credits:
\nImage 1: Golder Associates Hong Kong
\nImage 2: Voyants Solutions
\nImage 3: Sichuan Road & Bridge
\nImage 4: Chongqing Communications Planning, Survey & Design Institute

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Surbana Jurong and Lantera Sejahtera Indonesia (LSI), a leading Indonesia-based cost and project management consultancy, have signed a strategic partnership agreement to provide complementary consultancy capabilities to advance urban and infrastructure developments in Indonesia.

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Under the agreement, Surbana Jurong Indonesia and LSI will harness their combined expertise to provide clients with complete consultancy services for urban and infrastructure development projects. Surbana Jurong will bring architecture and engineering expertise, whilst LSI will provide cost estimation and management through all stages of the project.

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Surbana Jurong has a long presence in Indonesia and a proven track record of over three decades partnering with local counterparts to undertake a range of national urban and infrastructure projects. These include creating masterplans for transit-oriented developments (TODs) and industrial parks to architectural design for aerotropolis and construction supervision services.

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Among notable projects that Surbana Jurong has been involved in Indonesia are masterplanning for Walini Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), Kertajati Aerocity, Nongsa Digital Economy Hub, Industrial City of Subang as well as the construction supervision services conducted by Surbana Jurong’s subsidiary, SMEC, for the Palembang LRT project, the first operational LRT system.

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LSI has been collaborating with local and overseas partners since 1972 to ensure the successful delivery of projects of all sizes in all sectors. The company has carried out the infrastructural works on 300 ha of the reclaimed Turtle Island in Bali, at Gading Serpong Residential City in West Java, at Taman Dayu residential estate in Pandaan, East Jawa as well as the recent revitalisation of the Semanggi intersection in Jakarta.

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Wong Heang Fine, group CEO of Surbana Jurong said, “Our partnership with Lantera Sejahtera Indonesia demonstrates our commitment to Indonesia. Indonesia’s growing middle-class population, geographic position, urban and infrastructure development, alongside its focus on human capital, put it on the global economic stage. The pandemic has caused delays to some projects but the government’s commitment to ongoing reform will undoubtedly further advance smart and sustainable urban development in Indonesia.”

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Peter Robinson, president director of Lantera Sejahtera Indonesia added, “It is a great honour and a great opportunity to partner Surbana Jurong in bringing to reality these projects, which are so important to the development of Indonesia. The experience and expertise brought together by our two companies is unmatched and is unreservedly placed at the disposal of those parties, whether from within Indonesia or from overseas, which are focused on improving the lives of the people of Indonesia.”

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Image: Surbana Jurong

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