The detailed engineering design of the Panay-Guimaras-Negros (PGN) bridge is already 84.10 percent completed, according to the latest project briefer of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Data from the DPWH revealed that the design of Segment A or the Panay-Guimaras portion of the bridge is already 93.60 percent completed, while Segment B or the Guimaras-Negros component stands at 77.60 percent.
This progress indicates that the project remains on track, with construction on Segment A expected to begin in 2026.
Section A of the bridge spans 13 kilometers, connecting Panay to Guimaras with a 4.840-kilometer sea-crossing bridge.
Meanwhile, Section B will connect Guimaras to Negros, featuring a 19.47-kilometer stretch, including a 13.190-kilometer sea-crossing bridge.
With an estimated cost of P189 billion, the project is among the 12 bridges nationwide that will be constructed under the Mega-Bridge Program component to connect the islands and areas of the country separated by water.
Implemented under the Marcos administration’s “Build Better More” infrastructure campaign, the PGN project is also expected to advance the government’s goal of filling critical infrastructure gaps that affect national development.
The project also remains economically viable and attractive for investment as the National Economic and Development Authority Investment Coordination Committee Technical Board revealed that the PGN bridge has an Economic Internal Rate of Return (EIRR) of 20.81 percent; while the ICC Secretariat’s independent evaluation yielded an EIRR of 15.80 percent.
Once completed, the bridge is expected to reduce the travel time for commuters and motorists, as well as ease the transport of goods between Panay, Guimaras, and Negros.
It will replace a three-to-four-hour ferry or RORO journey with a trip lasting less than an hour.AAL/JNH/PIA Iloilo
