The Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge project. Photo courtesy of DPWH
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday said the proposed Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge is seen to boost economic activity since it will cut travel time between the two provinces from five hours to just 45 minutes.
During the bridge’s milestone ceremony in Mariveles, Bataan, Marcos said the project is anticipated to help decongest Metro Manila and bring down prices of goods and services as transport and logistic costs will decrease.
“That will be an incredible feat when it happens and would significantly help in decongesting Metro Manila as motorists will be able to travel without passing through the metropolis,” he said in his speech.
He likewise said that new opportunities will be opened to Bataan and Cavite and their surrounding provinces because of the easier access that the bridge is projected to provide.
The construction of the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge will also support the development of seaports in the two provinces, making them potential international shipping gateways of the country, according to Marcos.
The highlight of Friday’s event was the ceremonial switching of the offshore drilling equipment used in the geotechnical investigation for the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge, as well as the presentation of milestones of the project’s Detailed Engineering Design (DED).
The 32.15-kilometer, four-lane, inter-island bridge will connect Brgy. Alas-asin in Mariveles, Bataan and Brgy. Timalan Concepcion in Naic, Cavite. Once completed, it will be the largest and longest bridge in the Philippines.
READ: P175-billion bridge to connect Cavite to Bataan
The Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge will have two navigational links: the 400-meter North Channel Bridge and 900-meter South Channel Bridge, which will traverse Corregidor Island. About 80 percent of the structure will be over the sea.
Primarily funded through Official Development Assistance loans from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), with co-financing from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), construction of the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge is expected to last for 60 months and is scheduled to be completed by the end of the third quarter of 2028.
Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan earlier said the structure’s construction is slated to start in late 2023.
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