Render of Panay Guimaras Negros Bridge
ILOILO CITY—The first section of the Panay-Guimaras-Negros (PGN) bridge is set to start construction in the second quarter of 2025 following the expected completion of the project’s detailed engineering design (DED) this year, an official of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said.
Sanny Boy Oropel, DPWH regional director in Western Visayas, said that seven platform barges were deployed for the offshore drilling survey as part of the consultancy services for the DED.
A P2.671-billion study is being undertaken by a joint venture of Yooshin Engineering Corp. with Kyong-Ho Engineering and Architects Co. Ltd., Dohwa Engineering Co. Ltd., Soosung Engineering Co. Ltd. and Dasan Consultants Co. Ltd. The budget is part of the funding loaned by the South Korean government’s Export-Import Bank of Korea.
Oropel said that with the current study, the 13-kilometer Section A, or the Panay-Guimaras bridge, will start in the second half of 2025 and is scheduled for completion in 2028.
On the other hand, the 19.47-km Section B (Guimaras-Negros bridge) is set to be completed in 2030.
“The [DED] of Section A will be completed within the year 2024 for the civil works to start on the second semester of 2025, and the Segment 1 will be completely delivered by the end of President Marcos’ term on June 30, 2028,” Oropel said during the Philippine Information Agency’s “Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas” on May 28.
“Come four years from now, we can now enjoy the Manggahan Festival [in Guimaras] with an unhampered time for us to enjoy the first segment that will be delivered to the commuting public,” he added. —JOEY MARZAN