Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Benitez, who is also the chairman of the Regional Development Council (RDC-6), said that the construction of the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Bridges is a priority of the present administration of President Ferdinand Marcos,Jr.
"I am very sure that the PGN Bridge is a priority and this administration wants it to materialize before 2028," Benitez said Tuesday, November 28.
"In fact, on December 12, we will have a meeting with the National Economic and Development Authority, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and other agencies involved in the project," Benitez said.
He said, “We are trying to expedite the construction of PGN. Initially, we’re looking at seven years to finish, and we are trying to hasten that the substantial construction would be finished before 2028," Benitez said.
"We are trying to finish it on time, that's why we hold the meeting regularly," he added.
He also explained that they are closely working with the DPWH to finish the feasibility study so that once it's finished, “we will proceed with funding sourcing.”
Earlier, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has expressed optimism that the project would be materialized.
There was a failure of bidding for the detailed engineering design (DED) of the project, Engr. Arecio A. Casing Jr., National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Region 6 director said.
He said the DPWH will rebid the DED since the bid price exceeded the allocated loan proceeds and the DPWH’s original contract estimate.
The construction of the P189.53 billion Panay-Guimaras-Negros (PGN) Island Bridges Project will begin in 2025, he added.
The project covers an entire route of 32.47 kilometers, composed of two sections, 13-kilometer Panay-Guimaras bridge, and 19.47-kilometer Guimaras-Negros bridge.*