Mayor Miguel Peña and Public Works and Highways Senior Undersecretary Emil Kiram Sadain (3rd and 4th from left) in Pulupandan Thursday.*
The bidding for the detailed engineering design of the Panay-Guimaras-Negros (PGN) bridges is set to be held in December, Public Works and Highways Senior Undersecretary Emil Kiram Sadain said Thursday, November 10.
Sadain and Mayor Miguel Peña inspected the shoreline of Brgy. Tapong in Pulupandan where the bridge alignment to Negros from the Guimaras side will connect.
The PGN project, initially estimated at P185 billion, will be 32.47 kilometers long with two-sea-crossing bridges connecting Panay-Guimaras-Negros.
The PGN Island Bridges Project Team has completed its feasibility study, and the preparation of the detailed engineering design will be underway once bidding is done, Sadain said. The preparation of the detailed engineering design is expected to take about two years.
The bridges will be iconic when constructed and a big boost to the economy, Sadain said.
Peña said “on behalf of the people of Pulupandan, we are very happy that this is progressing. This will be a great benefit for the entire region, not just Negros Occidental.”
The bridge from Pulupandan will connect to San Lorenzo Guimaras, and from Buenavista, Guimaras, to Leganes, Iloilo, Sadain said.
The linkage between Section A Panay-Guimaras will comprise a sea-crossing bridge with an approximate length of 4.97 kilometers and a road approach of 8.03 kilometers for a total of 13 kilometers, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported.
The linkage between Section B Guimaras-Negros will comprise a sea-crossing bridge with an approximate length of 13.11 kilometers, road approaches of 5.49 kilometers and road connectors – 0.87 kilometers for a total of 19.47 kilometers, it added.
Travel time of commuters and motorist and transport of goods from Panay to Negros Islands through ferries/RORO will be shortened from 3-4 hours to just less than 1 hour once the interlink bridges are constructed, the DPWH said.
The aim is to provide safer, faster and convenient travel between the islands, it said.
The DPWH team also met with Negros Occidental Acting Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer, Board Member Jose Benito Alonso, and Pontevedra SB Member Jack Alonso in Pulupandan.
Ferrer reiterated his support for the project and full cooperation once it reaches implementation stage.*