Marcos: Bataan-Cavite bridge to decongest Metro Manila, generate savings

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said on Friday that he was confident the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge would help decongest traffic in Metro Manila.

Marcos, who attended the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge (BCIB) Milestone Ceremony held in Bataan's Mariveles town, said the travel time between the provinces of Bataan and Cavite could be reduced to 45 minutes from five hours.

"With the BCIB, it is projected that that five hours trip will now become as close – as quick as 30 minutes, reducing by as much as 86%, and we are reducing it to maybe 45 minutes of travel," Marcos said in his speech.

"That will be an incredible feat when it happens and would significantly help in decongesting Metro Manila as motorists will be able to travel without passing through the metropolis."

Marcos added that the interlink bridge would also help reduce the prices of goods and services because the transport and logistics costs would also be decreased, "thereby generating immense savings all around."

"And facing the challenges, it was prescient that we continued with this project until we got to this point, and I am sure until it is finished," said the President.

"It is prescient because at the time we did not think of supply chain problems that now that we have. And this kind of improved connectivity is the perfect solution to that."

He also predicted new opportunities in Bataan and Cavite and their surrounding provinces because of the easier access that will be made available to the public. 

According to the Presidential Communications Office, the 32.15-kilometer, four-lane inter-island bridge will connect Barangay Alas-asin in Mariveles, Bataan, and Barangay Timalan Concepcion in Naic, Cavite. Once completed, it will be the longest bridge in the Philippines.

The BCIB will have two navigational bridges, the 400-meter North Channel Bridge and the 900-meter South Channel Bridge, that are expected to traverse Corregidor Island. About 80% of the structure will be over the sea. 

Primarily funded through Official Development Assistance loans from the Asian Development Bank with co-financing from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the construction of the BCIB is expected to last for 60 months and is scheduled to be completed by the end of the third quarter of 2028. — DVM/VBL, GMA Integrated News