Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar said that detailed engineering design preparation is ongoing for the P7.375 Billion design and build of Panguil Bay Bridge included in the flagship infrastructure projects of the President Rodrigo Duterte administration.
Villar said that Panguil Bay Bridge is a realization of the 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.
“Our DPWH Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) 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,” the public works chief stressed.
“The civil works may immediately commence first quarter of 2021.”
DPWH Undersecretary for UPMO Operations Emil Sadain, in his offshore inspection at Panguil Bay with UPMO Roads Management Cluster 2 (Multilateral) Project Director Sharif Madsmo Hasim and Project Managers Cristino Agtang, Francisco Sawali, and Jake Mambuay, said that the final design of the main bridge and the two approaches and viaducts is target to be completed by December 2020 and the civil works may immediately commence first quarter of 2021.
“About 23 more 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,” Sadain said.
“The result of this geotechnical investigation onshore and offshore as well as bathymetric data from the study of the underwater depth of ocean floors is vital to ensuring that the Panguil Bay Bridge is built on good foundations with high strength to weight ratio,” added the official.
“The Panguil Bay Bridge will be the longest in the Philippines overtaking the current longest San Juanico Bridge in Eastern Visayas.”
He further stressed that the Panguil Bay Bridge when completed will be the longest in the Philippines at 3.7 kilometers, 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 reduce from two and a half hours to just seven minutes.