The Department of Public Works and Highways expects to complete the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge and Binondo-Intramuros Bridge by 2020 in a bid to decongest traffic in Manila.
“The implementation of these bridges is scheduled to begin next week and will be accessible to the public by 2020,” DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said Wednesday.
The two bridges are financed by China through a bilateral cooperation with the Philippines.
The Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge will connect Estrella Street at Makati City and Barangka Drive in Mandaluyong City. It has a total road length of 506.46 meters.
The Binondo-Intramuros Bridge, meanwhile, will have a total road length of 734 meters, equipped with a four-lane carriageway and a three-meter sidewalk along both sides. It will cross the Pasig River and provide a new link between Intramuros and Binondo.
“These two bridges are a product of our partnership with the people of China. We are optimistic about this collaboration as they will be providing world-class bridges that will truly be beneficial for us Filipinos,” Villar said.
“The construction of the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge and Binondo-Intramuros Bridge is part of our master plan to decongest other existing bridges. As a major component of this initiative, we plan to further increase the number of bridges nationwide and rehabilitate the older bridges to ensure public safety,” Villar said.
The two bridges are part of the Metro Manila Logistics Improvement Network, a traffic management plan composed of 12 new bridges crossing Pasig River, Marikina River and Manggahan Floodway.
The alignment caters to about 1.3 million vehicles daily and provides alternative linkages between major thoroughfares, such as Edsa and C5.
Villar earlier said the DPWH planned to resolve the traffic woes in Metro Manila in three years starting 2017.
The agency’s traffic decongestion program involves the implementation of high standard highways/expressways; construction and widening of national roads and bridges; construction of by-passes/diversion roads; and construction of flyovers, interchanges, and underpasses.
According to the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the updated daily cost of traffic in Metro Manila was P3.5 billion in 2017, higher than the estimated P2.4 billion based on the previous transport roadmap.