THE construction of the P1.23-billion Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge—a bigger version of the existing structure that connects the cities of Makati and Mandaluyong—started on Monday, the chief of the public works department said, noting that the rehabilitated bridge will be opened by 2020.
Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark A. Villar said the bridge, one of the two China grant-aid bridges, is part of the Metro Manila Logistics Network that will help decongest Metro Manila.
“The alignment caters to about 1.3 million vehicles daily—almost three times its current capacity. There is a need to address the gap if we are serious in solving traffic,” he said.
The Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge will connect Estrella Street in Makati City and Barangka Drive in Mandaluyong City. It has a total road length of 506.46 meters.
“The implementation of the bridge will start today [Monday] and will be accessible to the public by 2020,” Villar said.
Other projects
Aside from this bridge, the government is gearing up to rehabilitate and expand other existing bridges, and build new ones. So far, the public works department has completed the feasibility study for 10 bridges under the Metro Manila Logistics Network.
Villar listed them as the following: North and South Harbor Bridge, Palanca-Villegas Bridge (Pasig River), Beata-Manalo Bridge (Pasig River), Blumentritt-Antipolo River, Eastbank-Westbank Bridge 1, J.P. Rizal-Lopez Jaena Bridge, J.P. Rizal-Saint Mary Bridge, Marikina-Vista Real Bridge, Mercury-Evangelista Bridge and Eastbank-Westbank Bridge 2 (Manggahan Floodway).
Construction of the Bonifacio Global City-Ortigas Center Link Road Project, a four-lane bridge spanning 633 meters across Pasig River linking Lawton Avenue in Makati City and Santa Monica Street in Pasig City, has also started and is targeted to be completed in June 2020, he added.
Since the start of the Duterte administration, the public works department has constructed, rehabilitated, strengthened and widened a total of 2,423 bridges.
Image credits: Alysa Salen