Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar announced that construction of access ramps are underway for the iconic Binondo-Intramuros Bridge Project. Secretary Villar said that civil work activities for the ramps and viaduct structure are moving forward as it aims for the bridge substantial completion towards December 2021. In his report to Secretary Villar, Undersecretary for Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations Emil K . Sadain said that the project has already attained 70 percent completion with the 70-meter Main Bridge with steel arch and support steel bowstring over Pasig River permanenly positioned at pier 4 and 5 and installation of pre-fabricated precast slab available on-site will soon start. The fabricated steel box girders which will be utilized for the viaduct and ramp over Estero de Binondo are expected to arrived from China by August 2021, added Undersecretary Sadain following his occular inspection on Tuesday, June 29, 2021 together with UPMO Roads Management Cluster 1 - Bilateral OIC-Project Director Benjamin A. Bautista, Project Manager Melchor Kabiling, Project Engineer Joey Doria and contractor China Road and Bridge Corporation. The 3.39 billion peso Binondo-Intramuros Bridge Project will connect the historic districts of Binondo and Intramuros in Manila having a 418 meter viaduct structure and ramp over Estero de Binondo and 298 meter Binondo up-ramp at Muelle Dela Industria Street at Binondo side, and 191 meter up-ramp at Magallanes/Riverside Drive and 164 meter down ramp at Solana Street in Intramuros. Funded by a grant of People’s Republic of China, the arch bridge design symbolizes the friendly cooperation between Philippines and China and being built in accordance with new seismic design specifications and climate change considerations. Bored piles for the up/down ramps and abutments at Intramuros side are all completed while works are in full swing for the 98 bored piles at Binondo side, 61 of which are completed. DPWH and the contractor continues to coordinate with Meralco and Telco for their lines along Dasmariñas Bridge and as strategy are formulated to minimize service disruption with the launching of steel box girders along Estero de Binondo towards Plaza del Conde and Rentas Street and the relocation of affected lines along Muelle de Binondo near San Nicolas Fire Station. The Binondo-Intramuros Bridge will carry extra traffic of around 30,000 vehicles per day and will also help extend the life of existing Jones, Delpan and MacAthur Bridges by decongesting traffic. The project is part of the Metro Manila Logistics Improvement Program to address the long-held dilemma of traffic gridlock in major roads by constructing new bridges crossing Pasig and Marikina Rivers, and Manggahan Floodway.

Finishing works of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the Estrella Pantaleon Bridge Project across Pasig River are in full swing and set to be completed towards the end of July. Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar said that although the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted construction activity of various flagship infrastructure projects like Estrella Pantaleon Bridge, the DPWH-Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Team geared up to take up this challenge by keeping focus on the importance of delivering completion and opening this bridge project this early month of the third quarter. In his report to Secretary Villar, Undersecretary for UPMO Operations Emil K. Sadain said that complete layers of asphalt concrete base, binder and wearing course on the 146 meters main bridge and 66 meters Makati approach bridge are almost done. Installed successively on main and approach bridge using paving and compaction equipment, the wearing course or the uppermost layer will provide an even profile for the comfort of motorists while providing enough texture to ensure minimum and safe skid resistance, explained Undersecretary Sadain. Having put up the upper layer, bridge expansion joints are now being installed to allow for continuous traffic between the bridge and the interconnecting abutment structures. This expansion joints is designed to adjust the bridge length accommodating movement or deformation by external loads, shrinkage, or temperature variations Among the completed ancillary works for the bridge project with V-shape piers includes protective barriers and railings along both sides of the bridge, storm water drainage structure, and lightings. Meanwhile, Project Director Benjamin A. Bautista and Project Manager Melchor Kabiling of the UPMO Roads Management Cluster are keeping an eye on the on-going paving works for the 50.5 meters approach road on Estrella Street, Makati City and 243.96 meters approach road at Barangka Drive connected to Pantaleon Street in Mandaluyong City which are being accelerated by successively placing complete layer packages. The layers of approach road are consists of base course or the foundation made of different aggregate rocks to support the top layers of the pavement; cement-treated base or mixture of aggregates with amounts of portland cement that hardens after compaction and curing to form a strong, durable, frost-resistant paving material; asphalt concrete base or asphalt treated base that acts as waterproof barrier to prevent fines infiltration into the subgrade and pavement structure; finally the binder and wearing course. The P1.46-billion bridge project will have four lanes and will be a 506.46-meter pre-stressed concrete rigid frame bridge with corrugated steel webs, replacing the temporary two-lane box truss bridge made of modular steel components dismantled in 2019. The bridge project is one of two grant bridges from China — the other one is Binondo-Intramuros Bridge.

Photo Credit: Department of Public Works and Highways Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar reassured on Friday, June 18, 2021 that remaining civil works are being fast-tracked to open the new and modernized Estrella-Pantaelon Bridge by next month. “We are here on-site to show you that all substructure and superstructure of the Estrella-Pantaelon Bridge have been constructed and we are confident that we will be able to finish remaining works on approach road and ancillary/miscellaneous works by July 2021,” said Secretary Villar. Secretary Villar together with BCDA President & CEO and Presidential Adviser for Flagship Programs and Projects Secretary Vince Dizon, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and DPWH Undersecretary for Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations Emil K. Sadain inspected the substantially completed Estrella Pantaleon Bridge following an on-site Press Conference on Progress Update of Build, Build, Build Program. Citing a report from Undersecretary Sadain, Secretary Villar noted that the ongoing bridge project across Pasig River linking Estrella Street in Makati City and Barangka Drive in Mandaluyong City is now 93 percent complete. When completed, the new Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge widened from two (2) lanes to four (4) lanes is expected to accommodate as much as 50,000 cars daily, improving traffic situation in the area and decongesting the Epifanio delos Santos Avenue. The bridge-modernization project is implemented by the DPWH-UPMO Roads Management Cluster 1 (Bilateral) and is funded under a Chinese Grant together with Binondo-Intramuros Bridge.   Article Courtesy of the Department of Public Works and Highways