The construction of the new Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge, which connects the cities of Makati and Mandaluyong, is being fast-tracked amid the prevailing enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
But acting with haste doesn't mean that the health and safety of the workers should get compromised, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said.
"With just a few more days to fully complete the new Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge, we are mindful that a single case of COVID-19 in the project can lead to an interruption, if not total work stoppage," Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar said.
Villar recently issued Department Order (DO) No. 30, which contained revised guidelines for the implementation of infrastructure projects from both the public and private sectors during an ECQ, modfied ECQ (MECQ), general community quarantine (GCQ), and modified GCQ (MGCQ).
According to Villar, the bridge is already 86 percent done and is expected to be finished by June this year.
In his report to Villar, Undersecretary for Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations Emil K. Sadain said the project's progress rate is over 12 percent ahead of schedule, with all bridge substructure works having been completed.
Sadain visited the construction site on Monday, April 5, to check the physical progress of the project as well as the compliance of contractor China Road and Bridge Corporation with health and safety protocols in the workplace amid the current health crisis.
The new 506-linear meter bridge, a China-grant project implemented by the DPWH, will now have four lanes compared to the previous two along with three-meter sidewalks on both sides.
Targeted for completion by the second quarter of 2021, the ₱1.46-billion bridge can accommodate 50,000 vehicles daily and cut travel time between the cities of Mandaluyong and Makati to a mere 12 minutes.
The bridge would connect Estrella Street from the Makati side to Barangka Drive from the Mandaluyong side.
It is expected to help decongest EDSA by serving as an alternate route for motorists.