DPWH: Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridges near design completion, financing secured
By Trixee Rosel
At A Glance
- P189-billion Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island bridges project nears design completion.
- Panay-Guimaras segment 99% finished; Guimaras-Negros segment 85.3% complete.
- Detailed engineering design set to finish by 2025; civil works planned until 2032.
- Funded through Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) loan; financing remains secure.
A PERSPECTIVE of the proposed Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridge. (DPWH)
The P189-billion Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island bridges project is fast approaching a key milestone as its detailed engineering designs near completion, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said Thursday, Sept. 18.
DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said the Panay-Guimaras segment, a 4.97-kilometer sea-crossing bridge, is already 99% finished and is expected to be completed within September.
The Guimaras-Negros section, spanning 13.11 kilometers, has reached 85.3% progress, he added.
“Our highly significant Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island bridge project is currently undergoing detailed engineering design and is nearing completion; in fact, the first segment, Panay-Guimaras, is expected to be finished within September, after which it will be submitted to NEDA for approval,” Dizon said.
The contract for the detailed engineering design, signed in 2023, is expected to be completed by 2025, with civil works planned to continue until 2032.
Engineering services will be funded through a loan from the Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM), South Korea’s official export credit agency.
Dizon assured that the project’s financing remains secure and will not be affected by South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung’s earlier suspension of a separate P28-billion infrastructure loan over corruption concerns.