The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is gearing up to start the sub-structure works of the 3.169 kilometer Panguil Bay Bridge Project with sets of construction equipment requirements deployed on-site.
DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar said that although restriction on the movement of people and goods because of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the bridge construction, the contractor can now go full blast with the delivery of equipment and materials to be used for its foundation works.
In his report to Secretary Villar, Undersecretary for Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations Emil K. Sadain said that major bridge equipment by Korean joint venture contractor Namkwang-Kukdong-Gumwang have reached project site aboard vessels from South Korea and Brunei.
DPWH officials led by Undersecretary Sadain together with UPMO Roads Mangement Cluster 2 Project Director Sharif Madsmo H. Hasim and Project Manager Teresita V. Bauzon inspected Thursday, March 25, 2021 the arrived construction equipment at Silanga Port, Tangub City, Misamis Occidental that will be used to build the bridge foundation and witnessed the start of deployment activities off-shore.
According to Undersecretary Sadain, among the available major bridge equipment are revolving cranes, tug boats, barges, reverse circulation drilling (RCD) machines, vibro pile hammer, and steel casings. Other land-based equipment such as concrete batch plant, motor graders, excavators, dumptrucks, vibratory rollers, and payloaders are also now on site both in Tangub City and Tubod, Lanao Del Norte.
With on-going jacket fabrication, the initial bored piles and concrete pouring for pier #5 is targetted on or before end of April 2021.
Considered a major infrastructure development in Northern Mindanao, the project to connect Tangub City, Misamis Occidental and Tubod, Lanao del Norte in just seven (7) minutes requires a total investment of P7.375 Billion with the P2.168 Billion to be financed by the Government of the Philippines (GOP) and the amount of P5.207 Billion under a loan agreement between GOP and Korean Export-Import Bank (Korea Eximbank).
In preparation for the bored pile works at Tangub and Tubod side, earthworks and embankment on access road and approach road were on-going.
Soon to be longest bridge in the Philippines at 3.169 kilometer, we are excited to see the realization to make Filipinos even more connected through a megabridge that will spur interisland travel in Northern Mindanao, said Secretary Villar.
Once Panguil Bay Bridge is completed in 2023, it will surpass the 2.16-kilometer San Juanico Bridge that connects Samar and Leyte provinces in Eastern Visayas Region as the longest in the Philippines.
The extensive detailed engineering design of the Panguil Bay Bridge consisting of the 320 meter extra-dosed type Main Bridge, Approach Bridge made of pre-stressed concrete girder 1,020 meters at Tangub Section and 900 meters at Tubod Section; and Approach Road 360 meters at Tangub and 569 meters at Tubod was completed on December 2020 despite suspension of activities due to Covid-19 pandemic from March 16 to July 2020.
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