Panguil Bay Bridge now 51.4% complete, says DPWH

The Panguil Bay Bridge project in Northern Mindanao is now over 50% complete, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said Thursday.

In a statement, the DPWH said the P7.37-billion project has achieved 51.4% completion to date, “recovering from the delays in the delivery of equipment and materials in 2020 brought about by the unprecedented impacts of the global coronavirus pandemic.”

The two-lane bridge, spanning 3.17 kilometers, is being constructed through loan assistance from the South Korean government and is targeted to be completed by December 2023.

It is aimed to make commuting easier as it will only take seven minutes from Tangub City, Misamis Occidental to Tubod, Lanao del Norte compared to one hour and 30 minutes via roll-on roll-off vessels operating from Ozamiz City to Mukas Port or land travel through Panguil Bay road of two to two-and-a-half hours over a total length of 100 kilometers.

When finished, it will be Mindanao’s longest bridge, the DPWH said.

“I am delighted that the work is now progressing at a faster pace using state-of-the-art engineering equipment and adopting modern technology in bridge construction,” said Acting Public Works Secretary Roger Mercado.

The Panguil Bay Bridge project is among the 119 infrastructure flagship projects under the “Build, Build, Build” program of President Rodrigo Duterte. —VBL, GMA News