FILE – A shipment of 37 giant steel pipes that will be used to build the foundation of the Panguil Bay bridge arrives at Iligan City. The 3.7-kilometer bridge, a flagship project of the government, will link the provinces of Lanao del Norte and Misamis Occidental. —PHOTO COURTESY OF PHILIPPINE PORTS AUTHORITY
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced Friday that work has begun on the foundation of the P7.3-billion Panguil Bay Bridge that is scheduled for completion by December 2023.
Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said that the mega inter-island connection project in Northern Mindanao is on track and is now at 22 percent complete as major equipment intensifies preparing the bridge’s foundation.
Emil Sadain, DPWH Undersecretary for Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations, reported that 15 of 54 boreholes for the Substructure of Panguil Bay Bridge had been completed at a depth ranging from 30 to 50 meters.
Also called the “Bridge of Peace and Unity,” the P7.4-billion bridge would drastically reduce travel time from Tubod to Tangub City to only seven minutes from the current two hours and a half. The project is funded by a loan agreement between the Philippine government and Korean Export-Import Bank (Korea Eximbank).
On Thursday, Sadain, together with Project Director Sharif Madsmo Hasim of UPMO Roads Management Cluster 2, assessed the off-shore construction activities of Korean joint venture contractor Namkwang-Kukdong-Gumwang.
The DPWH said that based on detailed engineering design, the 3.169-kilometer bridge would require 54 bored piles intended for the 32 piers: two for abutments at Tangub City, Misamis Occidental and Tubod, Lanao Del Norte side; and two for pylon of the main bridge.—Kenzie Kinsella, trainee
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