ILOILO City – The construction of the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island Bridges Project has taken a major step forward as consultants from Yooshin Engineering Company and Dasan Consultants, both based in South Korea, have commenced a detailed survey for the bridge’s alignment.
Linking Panay, Guimaras and Negros islands aims to achieve safer, faster, and more convenient all-weather transport of people, goods and services.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region 6 is closely overseeing the process, which is vital for the project’s detailed engineering design (DED).
Engr. Sanny Boy Oropel, regional director, said the survey aims to establish the precise route and pier locations for the proposed Panay-Guimaras bridge section, also referred to as Section A.
“The consultants are verifying the proposed alignment based on their study to determine the exact path of the Panay-Guimaras bridge,” Oropel told Panay News.
Before initiating the alignment study, consultations were held with affected local government units, including the Iloilo and Guimaras provincial governments. This phase aligns with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to prioritize the completion of the DED for the Panay-Guimaras bridge segment by December 2024.
Following the current timeline, DPWH plans to start the procurement process for civil works in the first semester of 2025, with construction expected to commence by the third quarter of the same year.
“The procurement of civil works is scheduled for the second and third quarters of 2025, aiming to complete this section by June 2028,” added Oropel.
Regarding soil exploration, a vital component for the design process, Oropel said the necessary equipment would arrive in Iloilo this week.
Soil tests are essential as they provide data on soil classification that influences design parameters, especially since some piers will be located offshore.
The completion of the entire contract package for the DED, which includes both the Panay-Guimaras and Guimaras-Negros bridge sections, is targeted for December 2025.
Oropel clarified that DPWH-6 does not play a role in conducting the studies for alignment and soil testing, as these are managed by the consultants under the Unified Project Management Office (UPMO), led by Project Director Benjamin A. Bautista.
The project consultants began their DED work in December 2023, following the signing of the contract agreement.
The scope of the project includes the construction of two sea-crossing bridges with a total length of 32.47 kilometers, connecting Panay Island to Guimaras Island and further to Negros Island.
The Panay-Guimaras Segment alone will stretch over 13.004 kilometers, while the Guimaras-Negros Segment will cover 19.47 kilometers.
The design period will be 30 months from December 21, 2023 to June 21, 2026. The indicative project cost is P187.54 billion.
For Section A, this will start from the municipality of Leganes, Iloilo to the municipality of Buenavista, Guimaras while Section B will be from the municipality of San Lorenzo, Guimaras to the municipality of Pulupandan, Negros Occidental.
Section A project features (Panay to Guimaras)
* Approach road: Panay and Guimaras – 8.03 kilometers
* Approach bridge 1 – 3.24 kilometers
* Main Bridge – 1.4 kilometers
* Approach Bridge 2 – 0.33 kilometer
Section B project features (Guimaras to Negros)
* Approach Road: Guimaras and Negros – 6.36 kilometers
* Approach Bridge 1 – 7.2 kilometers
* Main bridge – 1.4 kilometers
* Approach Bridge 2- 4.51 kilometers/PN