The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has started the construction of the Panguil Bay Bridge Project in Northern Mindanao.
The construction of the bridge, which is 3.169 kilometers long, began by putting bored piles for the piers and abutments, according to DPWH Secretary Roger G. Mercado, adding that a total of 29 bored piles are already completed offshore.
The inter-island bridge project requires 54 bored piles for the 32 piers, including two abutments at Tangub City, Misamis Occidental and Tubod, Lanao Del Norte, and two pylons of the main bridge.
The Panguil Bay Bridge Project is worth ₱7.38 billion, and it is one of the flagship infrastructure projects under the DPWH-UPMO Roads Management Cluster 2. It is funded by a loan agreement between the Philippine government and Korean Export Import Bank.
Once the project is completed, the land travel between Tangub City, Misamis Occidental and Tubod, Lanao del Norte is expected to be reduced from two and a half hours to just seven minutes. It will also shorten land travel from Cagayan De Oro and Iligan to Tangub, as well as the northern Zamboanga Region.
Aside from providing lesser travel time once the project is complete, the construction of the bridge has provided employment to some 200 individuals that, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, are safely working daily. The manpower requirement is expected to reach 500 when the bridge superstructure activities begin in 2022.