THE governor of Negros Occidental expressed optimism as the work on the Negros-Panay Bridge is expected to start late next year.
Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. said it’s “very good,” adding that there are many funding for the government projects right now.
Marañon said the Provincial Government has no counterpart funding with the project, and that the budget for the feasibility study which is at P65 million, was already included in this year’s national appropriation.
He said Negrenses had been dreaming about the bridge that will connect Iloilo, Guimaras, Negros and Cebu.
However, the governor noted that the project is not easy.
“It takes time. Just to make engineering study, it would take two years. There are boring tests to determine the foundation. It’s hard,” Marañon added.
Marañon said Ilonggo Senator Franklin Drilon had consulted with him before about the project.
Moreover, the governor suggested that connecting Negros Occidental from Barangay Tumontong in E.B. Magalona town to Iloilo through Ajuy town is a “shorter” route, but it would depend on the National Government.
The project is seen to boost the economy of the provinces in the Visayas, he added.
Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said the civil works of the $1-billion bridge connecting the four islands in the Visayas is expected to start late next year.
He said the feasibility study is ongoing, adding that the project requires a lot of detailed engineering, which takes time.
Villar assured the Negrenses that the project is still a priority of the National Government.
He said he is hoping it will be completed before the term of President Rodrigo Duterte ends in 2022.
Duterte is looking to decongest Manila and disperse the development in Visayas and Mindanao, which is the reason why the national government is pushing for this infrastructure project.