The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided $650 million in funding to the Philippines to finance the construction of the Bataan-Cavite Interconnected Bridge (BCIB) Project. The Department of Finance (DOF) secretary, Benjamin Diokno and the AFB Philippines country director, Pavit Ramachandran signed the first phase of the agreement at the ABD headquarters in Ortigas.
Once completed, the 15km long BCIB Bridge will be one of the longest sea bridges in the world. People present at the signing included the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) represented by Arsenio Balisacan. Also present was the Secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). The Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista was also present. The Vice President of ADB, The CEOs of ADB, and the Undersecretary of DPWH were also in attendance. The bridge, once completed, will connect the provinces of Bataan and Cavite in Manilla Bay to decongest Metro Manilla.
Proposed Start Date For The Construction Of The Manilla Interconnected BrIdge.
With this investment, the DPWH is well-positioned for the implementation of the project. This will be done through the Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) led by the Principal Undersecretary Sadain. Together with the Project Manager of the UPMO Road Management Cluster II (Multilateral), Shariff Madsmo Hasim in the Year 2024
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Sadain stated that the notice of the tenders for the first two contract lots is scheduled for January 2024. Package 1 will cover 5km of land which includes the Bataan interchange, while Package 2 will cover 1.35km of land including the Cavite interchange. Other packages include 20.65km of the sea viaducts under packages 3 and 4. A 2.15km bridge over the north canal for lots 5. A 3.15km bridge over the south canal for package 6. Lot 7 concerns the additional work that covers the entire project.
A $200 million (approximately P11.15 billion) loan agreement was also signed with the ADB. This was to support greater investments in infrastructure in the future. The infrastructure Readiness Fund and Innovation- second additional financing (IPIF-AF2). This will directly support the implementation of more efficient and innovative infrastructure projects.
