The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Thursday announced the plan of the Marcos government to construct two new bridges in Tarlac City.
According to DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, the planned construction of another Agana Bridge will begin next year and is expected to be completed in early 2028.
“The President (Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.) has asked me to announce to our fellow citizens here in Tarlac that, starting next year, we will begin construction of another bridge right next to the existing Agana Bridge. This will double our capacity—expanding beyond the current two lanes. We hope to have this second Agana Bridge completed by next year or early 2028,” he said in an interview during the inspection of the Agana Bridge on Thursday.
“A budget of PHP180 million has already been allocated for 2027 to fund this new construction, which will bring the total capacity to four lanes. This is the commitment the President made to the (Tarlac City) Mayor (Susan Yap) and to all our fellow citizens here in Tarlac,” the DPWH chief added.
He noted that another Aquino Bridge will also be constructed, with funding coming from the allocation released by the President.
“The Mayor and I have been discussing the funds provided by the President to the province; we might be able to construct a second Aquino Bridge. Hopefully, by the end of the President’s term, we will have a total of four bridges here,” Dizon said.
“That makes four bridges—including a second bridge here in Agana and a second Aquino Bridge. That is our game plan, and it represents the President’s commitment—not just to Tarlac City, but to the entire province. This is what we will carry out over the next few months,” he added.
Last month, the DPWH opened the Agana temporary Bailey bridge to light vehicles, with a maximum load of 10 tons.
A 20 kph maximum speed limit was also implemented on the structure.
On Aug. 29, a portion of the bridge partially collapsed due to strong river currents and heavy rains.
Meanwhile, the middle portion of the Aquino Bridge collapsed on Aug. 28 due to heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon, or habagat. (PNA)