Team DailyPedia
One day, Mindoreños won’t have to cross the high seas via ferries and boats to reach Batangas, which is their gateway to Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon. Because when all else goes well, a super bridge will be erected between these two neighbor provinces in Southern Tagalog region.
Netizens were able to get a sneak peak of this future super infrastructure project via Facebook. Dubbed as the “Mindoro-Batangas Super Bridge,” images of this massive structure made rounds on Facebook via the Facebook account of Batangas Vice Governor Mark Leviste.
As a caption to a photo of Batangas Governor Vilma Santos, Oriental Mindoro Governor and the League of Provinces President Boy Umali, Leviste wrote, “Presenting the proposed MINDORO-BATANGAS SUPER BRIDGE with League of Provinces President and Oriental Mindoro Governor Boy Umali.”
According to Leviste, the “Mindoro-Batangas Super Bridge” will be the first ever Floating Bridge in Asia, resting on pontoons. Pontoons are flat-bottom boats or any flotation device used to support a bridge.
As reported in the Manila Standard Today, the Mindoro-Batangas Super Bridge will start at Barangay Ilijan in Batangas City and will connect to Verde Island (Batangas City). From Verde Island, the bridge will cross to Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro, according to Vice Gov. Leviste. The super bridge’s total length is 15 km (Batangas City-Verde Island: 6.5 km, Verde Island-Calapan City: 8.5 km).
The super bridge features a two-lane highway with pedestrian/bicycle lanes and a high vertical clearance for passing sea vessels and is tough enough to withstand cyclones up to 350 kph. The super bridge will cost around US$ 1.2-1.8 Billion and the construction will take two years, according to Leviste’s post.
Meanwhile, in an earlier report by the Manila Standard Today, Oriental Mindoro Governor Boy Umali said that San Miguel Corporation has initially stated their desire to finance and build this huge project.
Once the construction of this mega-structure is realized, the Mindoro-Batangas Super Bridge will be longer than the San Juanico Bridge that connects the provinces of Samar and Leyte. Also, it will fast-track the economic development of the region, especially tourism, the Oriental Mindoro Governor added.
Sources: Facebook, Manila Standard Today
