Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez on Wednesday, January 24, said the detailed engineering study for the P187.5 billion Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island Bridges Project is now fully funded and underway.
The construction of the bridges “is going to happen, that’s for sure,” Benitez said.
The Panay-Guimaras Bridge will cover 4.97 kilometers and the Guimaras-Negros Bridge will be 19.47 kilometers.
A group together with the Office of President has been created to monitor the implementation of the PGN Island Bridges Project, Benitez, who is chairman of the Regional Development Council, said.
Department of Public Works and Highways officials and Korean consultants tasked with delivering the detailed engineering design updated the provincial government and city officials on the progress of the project in separate briefings this week.
They have been given the notice to proceed and they expect to finish the design of the Panay-Guimaras bridge by December, to be followed the Guimaras-Negros stretch that is longer the year after, Benitez said.
Lacson said they were informed that the detailed engineering design (DED) for the Iloilo-Guimaras and Guimaras-Negros bridges will take up to 21 months.
“The good news is this is already fully funded…the funding is already part of 2024 General Appropriations Act,” Lacson said.
Benitez said regular meetings are being held to ensure the timely finish of the PGN Island Bridges Project.
The target is for the Panay-Guimaras bridge to be completed before 2028, while the Guimaras-Negros bridge will follow because it is longer, Benitez said. *