Construction of the planed $3.9 billion bridge across Manila Bay in the Philippines could now be delayed. An offer has been made to build the link by China Harbour Engineering Company that is lower than other bids. But the Philippine Interisland Shipping Association is not in favour of the package of works being awarded to the Chinese firm and the Philippines Government is delaying its decision.
The bridge would stretch 32km across Manila Bay. Much of the financing for the project would be from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, providing $2.11 billion and $1.14 billion respectively.
Meanwhile, three large transport infrastructure projects are due for completion in the Philippines by the close of 2025. These are the Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX) Phase 1, the North Luzon Expressway-South Luzon Expressway (NLEX-SLEX) Connector Road Project, and the Bucana Bridge. The 7.7km NLEX-SLEX Connector Road Project is an elevated expressway extending NLEX to the south from C3 Road in Caloocan to the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
