Highlights
- Two mega bridge projects, the Luzon-Samar and the Leyte-Mindanao links, could change the Philippines for good.
- They are, like the Eurotunnel, seen as catalysts for the country’s economic integration.
- Under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the Asian nation's ambitious infrastructure drive aims to reshape connectivity.
Manila: In a bold move, the Philippines is eyeing two game-changing over-the-sea bridge projects – the Luzon-Samar and the Leyte-Mindanao links.
Ex-President Rodrigo Duterte abandoned the two "flagship" projects, amid his “Build! Build! Build!” (BBB) mantra, as they were deemed too ambitious and “uneconomical”.
Now, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is taking a serious second look, and his vision, under the “Build Better More” (BBM), has superseded BBB. The two bridges, in tandem, could dramatically transform the country.
If these mega-bridges go up, they would significantly reduce travel time between major islands and fill the gaps in the country's main trunk line, known as "Maharlika Highway", currently spanning more than 3,500 km.
If these mega-bridges go up, they would significantly reduce travel time between major islands and fill the gaps in the country's main trunk line, known as "Maharlika Highway", currently spanning more than 3,500 km.
Luzon-Samar Bridge: 28km
The Luzon-Samar Bridge aims to connect Luzon, where the capital Manila is, to Northern Samar island, the country’s third-largest island. At 4,340 sqkm, the rich pastoral island-province has an area about six times the size of Singapore.
Officials are pushing for the link after members of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry raised the lingering issues of long queueing and congestion in Matnog port, delaying the transport of supplies from Luzon to Visayas and Mindanao, and vice versa.
The Luzon-Samar Bridge bridge, also being pushed by think tank Infrawatch PH, holds significant potential to revolutionise transportation between Luzon and Eastern Visayas, which also includes the major island of Leyte in the East.
For decades, roll-on roll-off (RoRo) ferries have crossed the San Bernardino Strait, carrying passengers and vehicles to and from Allen Port and Matnog Port in Sorsogon.
The link could cut travel from 90-minutes to less than 30 minutes, and would solve stranding during adverse weather and peak travel.
The staggering cost of building a deep-water bridge, however, over one of the most treacherous channels poses a challenge. To build cable-stayed a long span, estimates vary from Php193.58 billion (about $3.5 billion) up to Php766 billion (about $13. 9 billion) — for the Samar-Luzon link alone.
By comparison the total foreign exchange reserves of Philippine central bank, the BSP, stood at about $101.1 billion as of October 2023.
Leyte and Samar are already connected by the San Juanico Bridge, unveiled in July 1973.
Leyte-Mindanao Bridge: 23 km
Simultaneously, the Leyte-Mindanao Bridge is undergoing a pre-feasibility. This project involves the construction of cable-stayed bridges, with a total length of 23 km connecting San Ricardo, Southern Leyte to Surigao in north-eastern Mindanao.
It would not just establish a better link between Luzon and some parts of Visayas and Mindanao but it will also provide a permanent solution to the perennial problem of stranding during weather disturbances and port congestion during peak season.
Public Works and Highways Senior Undersecretary Emil Sadain previously said the infrastructure projects would be great beneficial. “It would not just establish a better link between Luzon and some parts of Visayas and Mindanao but it will also provide a permanent solution to the perennial problem of stranding during weather disturbances and port congestion during peak season,” he said.
As these projects unfold, the government also prioritises a second San Juanico Bridge and explores other ventures like the Bohol-Leyte and Bataan-Cavite bridges.
Terry Ridon, Infrawatch PH convener, asserts that funding is available. and engineering designs are done to commence construction.
The proposed bridge over San Bernardino Strait is currently served by roll-on-roll-off ferries between Matnog in Sorsogon and Allen in Samar, in the Pacific-facing east of the country. Thousands of trucks and buses and vehicles and people cross this busy strait each year.
When typhoons kick up the waves, the ferry services stop.
Second San Juanico Bridge
As this develops, the government is pushing for the construction of the second San Juanico bridge, which is designed to improve transportation between Leyte and Samar. The priority infrastructure project spanning 1.24 km is estimated to cost Php9.17 billion.
It will serve as an alternative to the existing San Juanico bridge, which sees 7,200 vehicles daily, nearing its 10,000-vehicle capacity. By 2030, vehicle volume is projected to breach the capacity.
The President is taking the most viable strategy in pursuing various forms of financing for his infrastructure programme. If the business case is present to allow the private sector to participate, the government should pursue it.
The 50-year-old bridge underwent Php84.7-million rehabilitation last year, which involved tightening of high-tension bolts and painting works on structural steel.
'Not dead in the water’
Earlier this month (November), the Northern Samar provincial government announced that Japanese experts are assessing the proposed long-span Luzon-Samar Bridge, linking the provinces of Northern Samar and Sorsogon.
The week-long evaluation will check the coverage and requirements for the “pre-feasibility” study, which will encompass the Luzon-Samar-Leyte-Mindanao linkage.
Composed of experts from the Infrastructure Development Institute (IDI)-Japan and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), are exploring specific engineering solutions.
During the assessment, the team visited the ports of Matnog in Sorsogon, and Allen in Northern Samar for the “bathymetric” surveys, a type of water-based survey that maps the depths and shapes of underwater terrain. The team was expected to complete the assessment this month.
Engineering solutions
The team leader Masahiko Yasuda of the Dia Nippon Engineering Consultant told local media that they are exploring the use of maximum single-span length and deep-water foundation as engineering solutions, which were used in the Messina Strait Bridge in Italy and Rion-Antirion Bridge in Greece.
Project financing
Should the government open them to a Public Private Partnership project (PPP)?
Compared to either Luzon-Samar or Leyte-Mindanao links, the 39.2-km Manila Skyway — funded and built by a private concessionaire (San Miguel Infrastructure) — is much longer.
"The President is taking the most viable strategy in pursuing various forms of financing for his infrastructure programme. If the business case is present to allow the private sector to participate, the government should pursue it, in order to allow government to devote its limited funds to projects which may not be deemed commercially viable yet necessary to further economic development, particularly still emerging areas in the country,” Ridon told Gulf News.
The second option proposes a deep tunnel, requiring nine years for completion. Both alternatives necessitate ferry improvements on both sides.
An engineering study was was initiated in 2018, with Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Ltd. contracted for feasibility studies and detailed engineering designs, bringing their 40 years of experience in mega transport projects to the table.
Bohol-Leyte, Manila Bay bridge projects
Another major bridge project is the proposed 19-km Bohol-Leyte Bridge project of the Department of Public Works and Highways, estimated to cost Filipino taxpayers approximately Php72.1 billion. Meanwhile, the initial Php175-billion cost to build the 32.15-km Bataan-Cavite bridge will now cost Php175.66 billion, according to latest estimates.
The 3.17-km Panguil Bay Bridge project, started under by Duterte, is targeted to be 86 per cent competed the end of 2023 and fully completed by the first half of 2024.
