The construction of the P7.3 billion Panguil Bay Bridge in Mindanao is expected to start on the first quarter of 2021, as final details on the design of the mega project will be completed in by December this year, the Department of Public Works and Highways said.
When completed, the Panguil Bay Bridge would become the longest bridge in the country, overtaking the San Juanico Bridge in Visayas region, according to Public Works Secretary Mark Villar.
The P3.375 billion mega-bridge project is included in the flagship infrastructure projects of President Rodrigo Duterte administration and is also expected to employ thousands of workers once civil works starts, he said.
Villar said that Panguil Bay Bridge is a realization of the president’s promise to make Filipinos even more connected by building a mega bridge that will provide convenient inter-island travel in the archipelagic topography of Northern Mindanao.
“DPWH Unified Project Management Office Operations is fast-tracking the conduct of geotechnical investigation to acquire necessary data for the design of the bridge that will connect Tangub City, Misamis Occidental and Tubod, Lanao del Norte,” Villlar said.
He said about 23 borehole test analysis out of the 45 geotechnical tests are needed to be undertaken to ensure reliable reference for the final design of Panguil Bay Bridge.
The Panguil Bay Bridge has a distance of 3.7-kilometer, overtaking the current longest San Juanico Bridge in Eastern Visayas which spans 2.164 kilometers.
The project is funded by a loan agreement between the Government of the Philippine and Korean Export Import Bank with DPWH UPMO Project Manager Teresita Bauzon in-charge of this project.
Through the Panguil Bay Bridge, land travel between Tangub City, Misamis Occidental and Tubod, Lanao del Norte is expected to be reduced from two and a half hours to just 7 minutes.