Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said on Wednesday, May 19, that the road linking business districts Bonifacio Global City (BGC) and Ortigas Center will be opened to the public on Independence Day, June 12.

The BGC-Ortigas Center Link project is part of the government’s plan to decongest EDSA. The Santa Monica-Lawton Bridge crossing Pasig River was constructed as a major component of the project.

“We’re targeting to open the main span by Independence Day. That’s June 12. Once that’s finished it will significantly decongest EDSA. We’re looking at anywhere between 20% [and] 25% reduction,” Villar said in an interview on ANC’s Headstart.

He added that the road was also designed to reduce congestion along C5 Road by about 10%.

Travel time from Ortigas to the cities of Makati and Taguig is expected to be drastically reduced from around an hour to a little over 10 minutes.

In 2020, Villar announced that the four-lane BGC-Ortigas Center Link should be completed that year, but the coronavirus pandemic happened.

Earlier in 2021, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) targeted partial opening of the road by May, but the agency had to reschedule due to remaining civil works.

Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge also opening

Aside from this, Villar said the new Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge in Makati is “significantly finished.” It was closed for construction in 2019.

“Shortly thereafter, a few weeks after, we will be opening Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge. If you go there, you can already walk on the whole alignment,” Villar said.

The upgraded Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge will have four lanes, connecting Estrella, Makati City, to Barangka Drive, Mandaluyong City. The expected capacity after reconstruction is 50,000 vehicles a day.

The project is part of a P5.27-billion Chinese grant. The grant allowed China to conduct the survey, design, and construction of two bridges along the Pasig River and to hire Chinese blue-collar workers. – Rappler.com