Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. expressed his elation over the inclusion of the Panay-Guimaras-Negros (PGN) Bridges in the Marcos Jr. administration’s in his P8.3-trillion “Build Better More” Program.
The mega bridges project was mentioned by President Bongbong Marcos in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA).
“This is a game changer as it will unite the community in the region. Dako ini nga bulig sa Western Visayas especially sa probinsya sang Iloilo,” Defensor said in a press conference.
The project is composed of two sections: Section A (13 km Panay-Guimaras) and Section B (19.47 km Guimaras-Negros).
The link between Section A (Panay-Guimaras) is a sea-crossing bridge with an approximate length of 4.97 kilometers, and a road approach with an approximate total length of 8.03 kilometers, with a combined length of 13 kilometers.
The link between Section B (Guimaras-Negros), moreover, is a sea-crossing bridge with an approximate length of 13.11 kilometers, road approaches with an approximate total length of 5.49 kilometers, road connectors measuring 0.87 kilometers, with a total length of 19.47 kilometers.
Aside from this, the Iloilo-Capiz-Aklan Expressway (ICAEX) is also included in the Marcos Jr. administration’s priority list.
Meanwhile, Defensor said that Iloilo-Aklan-Capiz Expressway (ICAEx) is also included in the Top 10 priority programs of the administration. The project was mentioned by the President in his first SONA.
“This Iloilo-Aklan-Capiz Expressway is a partner of the PGN bridge and it will maximize its use. Kinahanglan ini siya kay pares ni sila,” he said.
ICAEx has an estimated length of 210 kilometers, traversing 20 municipalities in the three provinces. The expressway will have four lanes composed of elevated roadways, viaducts, a tunnel, and a long-span bridge.
The project will connect with the proposed PGN bridge and is expected to start in Barangay M.V. Hechanova in Leganes, near the approach of the proposed bridge, and will end in Malay, Aklan.
Once completed, the expressway is expected to reduce the travel time between the three provinces, eliminate congestion on the highways, ease the delivery of goods due to an enhanced logistics network, improve the delivery of the emergency response, and provide development opportunities for other tourism destinations on Panay Island.IMT
