Work on Panguil Bay Bridge nearly done at 89%

It might have taken some time, but the Department of Public Works & Highways (DPWH) is inching ever closer to completing one of its major projects in the country. After announcing that work on the Panguil Bay Bridge was at 73% completion last July 2023, the DPWH shared recently that the much-awaited inter-island Panguil Bay Bridge is on the verge of completion this year.

The 3.17-kilometer bridge, which will eventually connect Tangub City, Misamis Occidental, and Tubod, Lanao Del Norte, is targeted to be finished this 2024. In a recent inspection by DPWH Senior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain, he stated that the agency is optimistic that the Panguil Bay Bridge project will be completed later this year despite unprecedented delays.

However, Sadain also noted that despite progress made in construction which is at 89%, funding challenges in the DPWH 2023 and 2024 national budget for this infrastructure project could prolong the project timeline.

Nonetheless, Sadain shared that the implementing office of the Unified Project Management Office-Roads Management Cluster II (Multilateral) together with the contractors and consultants will be able to make up for the delays brought by the absence of sufficient funding. There's also the matter of bad weather conditions in Mindanao for the past several days which has affected the speed of construction.

Despite some setbacks, the DPWH is still set on finishing the work on the 3.17-kilometer bridge. It will also mark a significant milestone in Mindanao's infrastructure development. As mentioned before, the completion of the bridge will significantly reduce travel time between the provinces of Northern & Central Mindanao, boost economic growth in the region, and enhance transportation links between the provinces.

Once the Panguil Bay Bridge project is done and opened to the public, travel time between Lanao Del Norte and Misamis Occidental will be cut down from 2.5 hours using a RoRo vessel to only 7 minutes by using the bridge.