Study for bridges linking Eastern Visayas to nearby islands sought

TACLOBAN CITY, June 15 – The Regional Development Council (RDC) here has already submitted required documents to the Chinese embassy for the conduct of feasibility studies of the proposed long span bridges connecting Eastern Visayas to Bohol, Luzon and Mindanao Islands.

National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Director Bonifacio Uy, the RDC’s vice chairperson said on Thursday that resolutions and supporting documents were sent to the Chinese embassy in Manila last month through the Department of Transportation.

“The documents were submitted through Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan as the facilitator of the region for the expeditious conduct of the feasibility studies of these projects,” Uy said.

These bridges will link Allen, Northern Samar to Matnog, Sorsogon and San Ricardo, Southern Leyte to Surigao City, Surigao del Norte. 

Also included is the bridge that will link the provinces of Leyte and Bohol. It will rise from President Carlos P. Garcia in Bohol to Maasin City in Southern Leyte. 

The proposed bridges are among the infrastructure projects tagged as priority for technical assistance in the preparation of feasibility study. The cost of the study will be shouldered by China, according to NEDA.

For the link to Luzon and Mindanao, the government needs at least PHP193.58 billion to build cable-stayed long span bridges, based on cost estimates by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Of the PHP193.58 billion budget, PHP101.35 billion is intended for Leyte-Surigao Link Bridge Project and PHP92.23 billion for Luzon-Samar Bridge Project. 

Planners will have yet to come up with estimates for Leyte-Bohol link project.

The Leyte-Surigao project involves the construction of cable-stayed bridges with a length of 23 kilometers connecting San Ricardo, Southern Leyte and Lipata in Surigao City, crossing the Surigao Strait.

The Sorsogon-Samar project has a combined length of 25.4 kilometers. It consists of three long span bridges – Allen to San Antonio in Northern Samar (4.9 kilometers), San Antonio to Capul in Northern Samar (8.5 kilometers), and Capul, Northern Samar to Matnog, Sorsogon (12 kilometers).

Both projects are four-lane cable-stayed bridges, a permanent solution to the perennial problem of being stranded during weather disturbances and port congestion during peak season.

A cable-stayed bridge has one or more towers, from which cables support the bridge deck. Distinctive features are the cables, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern or a series of parallel lines.

NEDA is optimistic that budget for the study will be included in the availment of Chinese government financing in accordance with the 2016 Philippine-China Development Framework of Cooperation. 

Allen is known for being an important port for inter-island transport, specifically between Samar Island and Sorsogon province in Luzon Island.

Roll-on roll-off (RoRo) ferries cross the San Bernardino Strait, transporting passengers and vehicles to and from Allen port and Matnog port in Sorsogon. With a distance 28 kilometers, the average travel time is one hour and 30 minutes.

Buses from the various provinces of the Visayas and Mindanao bound for Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon pass through Allen town.

The government also noted increasing traffic in Southern Leyte ports for Mindanao-bound passengers.

RoRo ships have been transporting passengers and vehicles to and from Benit port in San Ricardo town and Lipata port in Surigao City, crossing Surigao Strait. The distance between two ports is 29 kilometers. (Sarwell Q. Meniano/PNA)