VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Philippines’ Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was honored with an award by infrastructure engineering software company Bentley Systems at a black-tie ceremony on Wednesday, October 9.
Awarded was the department’s digital twin implementation for the ongoing NLEx-SLEx Connector Road Project in Caloocan, Metro Manila. The approximately 8-kilometer elevated four-lane toll expressway extends the NLEx southward from the end of Segment 10 on C3 Road, Caloocan City, to PUP Sta. Mesa, Manila, and connects to the Skyway Stage 3.
With a total cost of P23.2 billion, the road construction is mostly traversing along the PNR rail track, which includes two interchanges/on and off ramps located on C3 Road/5th Avenue, Caloocan, España Boulevard, Manila, and two proposed additional interchanges/on and off ramps located on Magsaysay Boulevard and PUP Sta. Mesa, Manila. The project is expected to be finished by the fourth quarter of 2024.
The DPWH was represented at the annual event by Engr. David Galang, Asean engineer, division chief, Public-Private Partnership Service, and Engr. Jame Chavez, also of Public-Private Partnership Service. The two also went on stage to accept the coveted award for extraordinary work advancing infrastructure design, construction and operations using Bentley Systems software under the Roads and Highways category.
“I’m so thrilled, really,” said Galang, in an exclusive interview with The Manila Times after receiving the award. “This is the first time we joined the event of Bentley, and here we are, we won an award. Para sa bayan ‘to. Para sa Pilipinas.”
“Sana magtuloy-tuloy; we hope to get the continued support of our administration, of our department — mag-tuloy tuloy sa pag-improve sa mga innovation, especially sa design and construction ng mga roads, bridges, tunnels and, of course, flood control,” Galang added.
“Kakaiba ‘yung feeling na ‘yun ginawa natin para sa bayan ay nare-recognize hindi lang locally but also internationally,” said Chavez. “Tapos lahat nung baby steps ng government para mag improve ‘yung processes para ma-idigitalize pa ‘yung activities namin. It hits the heart that what we do is being recognized. It’s a proud moment for the Philippines.”
The Going Digital Awards is a well-regarded global competition that recognizes digital advancements in infrastructure. Bentley Systems, which initiated the awards program in 2004, has recognized over 4,700 of the world’s most outstanding infrastructure projects.
Open to all Bentley Systems software users, this unique program is global in scope and comprehensive in categories covered. The award categories encompassed all forms of infrastructure projects and stages — from design to construction to operations.
This year, 250 projects were nominated by organizations in 36 countries. Winners were selected from among 36 finalists in 12 categories by a panel of independent judges during Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure event.
In 2021, West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. (Maynilad) made it to the finals, a first for the Philippines to be nominated by this award-giving body. The West Zone water concessionaire entry under the competition’s “Water, Wastewater and Stormwater Networks” category demonstrated the innovative and effective use of Bentley’s hydraulic modeling software to optimize pump operations.
YII 2024 awardees
Other YII 2024 Going Digital awardees include Bridges and Tunnels: JMT – Digital Experience for I-95 Rappahannock River Crossing Construction Project; Construction: Proicere Ltd. – SPRS Retreatment (SRP) Sellafield; Enterprise Engineering: Mott MacDonald and HDR – Ontario Line; Facilities, Campuses, and Cities: China ENFI Engineering Co. Ltd. – Digital Construction Project of Comprehensive Waste Management Facilities in Xiong’an New Area; Process and Power Generation: PowerChina Zhongnan Engineering Corp. Ltd. – Shandong Energy Group Bozhong Offshore Wind Farm Site A Project; Rail and Transit: SPL Powerlines UK – Midland Main Line Electrification; Structural Engineering: Hyundai Engineering – New Physical Modeling Method for Plant Steel Structures Using STAAD API; Surveying and Monitoring: Water Supplies Department – Digital Twin of the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir; Subsurface Modeling and Analysis: Spark and WSP – North East Link Central Package: Transmission and Distribution; Southwest Electric Power Design Institute Co. Ltd. of China Power Engineering Consulting Group – Butuo ±800-kV Converter Station; and Water and Wastewater: Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo – Sabesp – Integra 4.0
As in previous years, representatives from the finalists’ organizations met with global journalists and industry executives in different breakout sessions held at the J.W. Marriott and Douglas Hotels on October 8-9. At the same time, they presented their projects to the panel of judges who determined the winners.
“This year, we received an impressive variety of submissions for the Going Digital Awards from users across the globe, showcasing groundbreaking projects that exemplify the future of infrastructure,” said Kristin Fallon, chief marketing officer at Bentley Systems. “Today, we celebrate the extraordinary achievements of our finalists and winners. These visionary teams demonstrate the power of going digital across the infrastructure lifecycle to improve project delivery and asset performance.”
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