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The Asian Development Bank approved $2.1-billion in financing for the construction of the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge project, a government flagship infrastructure project
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The funding plan involves multiple tranches, with the initial tranche amounting to $650 million
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The project will cut travel time between Bataan and Cavite to 1.5 hours from five hours and to about two hours from four hours between Bataan and Metro Manila
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $2.1 billion in financing for the construction of the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge (BCIB) project, a 32.15-kilometer climate-resilient bridge connecting the two provinces across Manila Bay.
The funding plan involves multiple tranches, with the initial tranche amounting to $650 million.
The project aims to address traffic congestion in Metro Manila and improve the movement of people and goods. It is a crucial part of the government’s infrastructure initiatives and will complete the transport loop around Manila Bay, linking Metro Manila to central Luzon, as well as Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon provinces.
In a statement the ADB, the project will benefit areas contributing to 60% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
The project will significantly cut travel time between Bataan and Cavite to 1.5 hours from five hours and to about two hours from four hours between Bataan and Metro Manila. The reduction in travel time is expected to decrease annual greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 79,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.
The BCIB project involves constructing one of the world’s longest marine bridges, including two cable-stayed bridges, 24 kilometers of marine viaducts, and a total of eight kilometers of approach road in the two provinces.
It will enhance road connectivity to Manila, Cavite, and southern Luzon, which will increase Bataan’s potential to host more manufacturing industries in the Freeport Area of Bataan, the only freeport in the Manila Bay area, making it an ideal transshipment hub.
The project can also help expand the use of Bataan’s Mariveles port to provide an alternative to the busy port of Manila.
The bridge will offer convenient access from northern Luzon to Cavite, one of the most industrialized provinces in the country, and host to businesses in the service, export, logistics services, facilities, and information technology sectors.
The ADB-financed Infrastructure Preparation and Innovation Facility supported the project preparation, environment and social safeguards due diligence, and detailed engineering design for BCIB.
The bridge’s construction is set to follow high technical standards to enhance resilience to natural hazards and climate change effects, such as sea level rise, temperature increase, and extreme weather events. The project will utilize low-carbon technologies and construction materials wherever applicable.
“This project will transform the economic landscape of central Luzon, unlock the full potential of Bataan and Cavite for trade, manufacturing, and industrial output, and boost their tourism,” said Scott Morris, ADB vice-president for East and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific.
He added the BCIB project is part of ADB’s broader strategy to strengthen transport networks, including other initiatives like the South Commuter Railway, Malolos Clark Railway, Metro Manila Rail Transit Line 4, and the Laguna Lakeshore Road Network, which are currently in preparation for financing.
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