Mindanao’’S longest bridge is expected to be completed next year as construction of the P7.37 billion span has surpassed the 50 percent mark, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said.
“When finished, the 3.17 kilometer two-way two-lane Panguil Bay Bridge, which will link Tangub City in Misamis Occidental with the Municipality of Tubod in Lanao del Norte, will be Mindanao’s longest bridge,” DPWH Secretary Roger Mercado said.
The project was funded by the government of South Korea, he said.
“The project has achieved 51.4 percent completion to date, recovering from the delays in the delivery of equipment and materials in 2020 brought about by the unprecedented impacts of the global coronavirus pandemic,” the DPWH official said.
“I am delighted that the work is now progressing at a faster pace using state-of-the-art engineering equipment and adopting modern technology in bridge construction,” Mercado added.
The target completion is December 2023, the DPWH chief said, adding “the Panguil Bay Bridge Project will make commuting easier as it will only take seven minutes from Tangub to Tubod compared to one hour and 30 minutes via Roll-On Roll-Off vessels operating between Ozamis and Mucas, or land travel through Panguil Bay road of 2 to 2 and a half hours over a total length of 100 kilometers.”
Mercado said he was keen to make the most of his remaining few days as member of the Cabinet of the Duterte administration.