Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark A. Villar carry out a first drive along the new Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge.
Secretary Villar said that the four-lane 506.46-meter pre-stressed concrete rigid frame bridge across the Pasig River connecting the cities of Mandaluyong and Makati is complete and will be open soon.
In his briefing to Secretary Villar, Undersecretary for Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations Emil K. Sadain said that the main bridge and approach road were laid with layers of asphalt concrete base, binder and wearing course to enaure riding comfort and safety of motorists.
The new bridge was designed to withstand high-intensity earthquakes considering seismic hazard from small to moderate earthquakes with high probability of occurrence during the bridge service life, added Undersecretary Sadain.
The construction team under the implementation supervision of DPWH UPMO-Roads Management Cluster 1 headed by Project Director Benjamin A. Bautista and Project Manager Melchor Kabiling are completing the ancillary works that include protective barriers and railings, and drainage system on both sides of the structure.
The P1.46 billion Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge funded by a grant from China which is part of the EDSA decongestion program will also include a bicycle lane.
It replaces the old steel truss bridge which has only two (2) lanes connecting Estrella Street in Makati City and Barangka Drive in Mandaluyong City.
The old bridge with a capacity of around 22,000 vehicles was dismantled in January 2019 to make way for the expansion project due to the significant growth of vehicles in Metro Manila.
The soon-to-reopen Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge is expected to accommodate about 50,000 vehicles per day and reduce travel time between Makati and Mandaluyong to just 12 minutes.