The completion of the detailed engineering design (DED) for the Panay-Guimaras-Negros (PGN) bridges project draws near with a reported accomplishment rate at 90.42 percent for Section A, or the Panay to Guimaras Island.
The DED for Section B, or the Guimaras to Negros Island Bridge, meanwhile, was 66.66 percent done, as of last month.
The interim DED for Section A of the PGN was already submitted to the National Economic and Development Authority late last year, while the DED for Section B will continue until its target completion period by December this year.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Western Visayas said that construction, or the civil works of the project’s first segment, will commence in the second semester of 2025 and is set to be completed in June 2028.
Once the project is completed, it is expected to reduce the travel time of commuters and motorists, and ease the transport of goods from Panay to Negros Island through ferries or Roll-On/Roll-Off (RoRo) vessels, from three to four hours, to just less than one hour.
The PGN Island Bridges project is part of the Philippine National Development Strategy linking the three islands for a safer, faster, and more convenient travel of commuters, and for vehicles to pass all-weather.
It is also among the 12 bridges nationwide that will be constructed under the Mega-Bridge Program component to connect the islands and areas of the country separated by bodies of water.
This is covered under the present administration’s “Build Better More” program, and aims to address inadequacies in the country’s infrastructure that affect national development. | PIA
