PUBLIC WORKS and Highways Secretary Mark A. Villar announced that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between DPWH and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have been signed for loan application in an effort to commence the construction of three (3) new proposed bridges crossing Marikina River.
Villar said that preparation is also simultaneously happening while DPWH Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Bridge Management Cluster and the consulting firm Dasan JV are working on the detailed engineering design (DED) of J.P. Rizal-Lopez Jaena Bridge and Marcos Highway-St. Mary Bridge (formerly J.P. Rizal-St. Mary Bridge) both in Marikina City; and Kabayani-Katipunan Avenue Extension Bridge (formerly Marikina-Vista Real Bridge) connecting Marikina and Quezon City.
As authorized by Villar, DPWH Undersecretary for Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations Emil K. Sadain signed the pact with ADB Transport Specialist Ms. Chaorin Shim, and witnesses namely: DPWH UPMO Bridge Management Cluster Director Rodrigo I. delos Reyes, ADB Transport Specialist Mr. Gengwen Zhao and consultant Yoon Hwan Song from Dasan JV.
The MOU identifies the overall scheduled timeline for the engineering works, National Economic and Development Authority – Investment Coordination Committee (NEDA ICC) review/approval, loan processing and procurement of Metro Manila Bridges Project that covers the three (3) bridges included in the ADB financing program and is targeted to be signed in December 2021.
The conduct of DED also under the ADB’s Infrastructure Preparation and Innovation Facility since July 2020 is critical to the successful and timely execution of the procurement of civil works that DPWH UPMO Bridges Management Cluster and DED Consultant are working as well as other due diligence including social safeguards, economics, financial management, etc. required for processing of the loan, said Undersecretary Sadain.
The DPWH with support from the DED Consultant has led consultations with the Local Government Unit of Marikina and Quezon Cities and coordination with its relevant teams to confirm the alignments of the three (3) bridges.
Will additional river-crossing structures, the bridge projects are fully supported by LGUs per letter received by DPWH last December 2020.
The proposed J.P. Rizal-Lopez Jaena Bridge will be a steel nielsen arch bridge with a length of 687 meters with a main bridge of 460 meters. The will require allocation of the bridge is P1.61 Billion.
J.P. Rizal-St. Mary Bridge meanwhile will be the longest with a length of 1,444 meters including a main bridge of 330 meters connecting J.P. Rizal Street and A. Bonifacio Avenue. It will be a pre-stressed concrete extradosed bridge costing P5.74 Billion.
Marikina-Vista Real Bridge will be a 940 meters pre-stressed concrete extradosed bridge including main bridge 485 meters in length that will cost P1.81 Billion.
