6 years from now, travel to the Bataan Peninsula from Metro Manila will no longer take 5 to 6 hours and instead will only take less than an hour, if going through Cavite. Yes, you read this right: through Cavite.
Just recently, President, Bong Bong Marcos (PBBM), led the milestone ceremony for the upcoming Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge that will soon connect the said provinces through a 32-kilometer bridge over Manila Bay. The bridge is estimated to cost PHP 187 billion.
The President was joined at the ceremonial switching of BCIB geotechnical investigation drilling equipment that marks the official launching of DPWH’s biggest infrastructure project to be implemented under his administration by Sen. Mark Villar, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, Bataan Governor Jose Enrique Garcia III, Cavite Vice Gov. Athena Tolentino, and MAAP President Eduardo Ma. R. Santos.
In his briefing, Bonoan said that the 32-kilometer, 4-lane Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge aims to directly connect the provinces of Cavite and Bataan in just 45 minutes from the current 5 ½ hours, saving more than 4 hours of travel time and benefitting thousands of commuters.
The project that will further enhance inter-island linkages and connectivity and reduce transport logistic costs is included in the recently approved NEDA board list of infrastructure flagship projects that will continue the previous administration's “Build, Build, Build” program into this administration's “Build Better More” development agenda, Bonoan added.
The feasibility study for the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge Project started in March 2018 funded under ADB’s Infrastructure Preparation and Innovation Facility Loan that set into motion plans and aspirations not only to link to Bataan and Cavite but also to ease the traffic congestion in Metro Manila's busiest gateways – the South Luzon Expressway and the North Luzon Expressway.
The DPWH, thru its Unified Project Management Office - Roads Management Cluster 2 (Multilateral), together with the experts from the joint venture group of T.Y. Lin International, Pyunghwa Engineering Consultants, Renardet, and DCCD Engineering Corporation are presently working on the final detailed engineering design that will ensure proper mitigating measures are in place to address the social and ecological concerns as the bridge will cross over Manila Bay. Funded by ADB, the detailed engineering design would also address environmental and security issues. ADB and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank have committed to co-finance the civil works construction of the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge Project.
The loan negotiation for the civil works construction is expected to commence in the third quarter of 2023, while the 5-year construction is targeted to start during the first semester of 2024.
