Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22) – The Philippines and China inked a deal for two Metro Manila bridges across the Pasig River, bringing the two countries a step closer to the construction of their first-ever road and bridge partnership project under the Duterte administration.
China will finance the construction of the Binondo-Intramuros bridge in Manila and the Estrella-Pantelon bridge connecting Makati and Mandaluyong after Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar and Embassy of China in the Philippines Economic and Commercial Counsellor Jin Yuan signed the Minutes of Discussion (MOD) for the full grant on Wednesday.
The Chinese grant will cover the design and construction of the two bridges, while the DPWH will acquire the right-of-way for the two projects, Villar said in a statement from the DPWH on Thursday,
DPWH has yet to release projected costs for the bridges, which are expected to be landmarks of the cities. A press release in May from the Department of Finance puts the grant at $75 million.
The government will finalize the detailed engineering plans for the two bridges, after which construction can begin by the last quarter of 2017, said the public works department in an interview with CNN Philippines.
It added that construction of both bridges could take up to two years.
Prior to the signing, a Chinese team had been dispatched to provide recommendations and technical assistance for the project’s preparation, initiation, and implementation.
Based on the initial project design, the 807-meter Binondo-Intramuros Bridge will be a four-lane, steel-bowstring arch bridge connecting Solana St. and Riverside Drive in Intramuros and San Fernando St. in Binondo with a viaduct.
The 560-meter Estrella-Pantelon Bridge, meanwhile, will be a four-lane twin spine steel box girder bridge with a concrete deck slab. It will utilize existing structures in Makati and Mandaluyong, which will be modified to create a new superstructure.
Aside from the two structures, two other proposed big-ticket projects– the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Link Bridges and Davao City Expressway– will receive a grant from the Chinese Government for feasibility studies.
The deals are among partnerships between the Philippines and China which in March also sealed a six-year development plan framework for future economic agreements.
They are also in line with government’s “Build Build Build” initiative to accelerate the development of infrastructure in the Philippines.
The government targets spending ₱8-9 trillion on infrastructure projects from 2017-2022.
