The construction of the Panay-Guimaras bridge is set to start next year but there is no specific date for when the Guimaras- Negros section of the project will commence, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 6 Regional Director Sanny Boy Oropel said on Sunday, Sept. 29.
The 33.086-kilometer Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island Bridges Project is estimated to cost P167.5 billion, he said.
The P57 billion Panay-Guimaras Bridge will cover 13.616 kilometers, while the P109.8 billion Guimaras-Negros Bridge will be 19.470 kilometers, he said.
He said the detailed engineering study for the Panay-Guimaras bridge will be completed in December 2024 to be followed by procurement of civil works by the first semester of 2025.
If the Panay-Guimaras bridge construction is bidded out by the first semester of 2025 construction could start on the third quarter of 2025, Oropel said.
It will be completed by June of 2028, he said.
The detailed engineering study for the Guimaras-Negros bridge will be completed by December of 2025 and hopefully the procurement activity can start by 2026, he said.
However, there is no timetable yet when the civil works for the Guimaras-Negros bridge will start, he said.*