MANILA — The government is planning to start the construction of a P175-billion bridge linking Cavite and Bataan in the latter part of this year, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said on Tuesday.

DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said the cable-stayed bridge will be about 32 kilometers across Manila Bay and will cut travel time from over 3 hours to "less than 2 hours" if the passenger will come from Manila.

The agency earlier said the bridge will link Brgy. Alas-asin in Mariveles, Bataan and Brgy. Timalan, Naic, Cavite.

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"We told the President it will be ready within the year, to ground break the implementation of this very significant bridge," Bonoan told Palace reporters.

"This will include 2 big bridges: 400 meters 'yung one of the bridges... and the other one is 900 meters," he said.

The DPWH secretary added that the detail engineering is already 70 percent complete. It will have 4 lanes.

His agency may finish the project within 5 years, "we'll try to have this completed before the term of the President [ends].

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The construction of the bridge in those areas will "significantly" spur economic activity in Luzon, he said, adding that the Asian Development Bank itself indicated that the economic rate of return of the bridge is "more than 25 percent."

"The growth corridor is in the southern part of Metro Manila and the other growth corridor is in the north of Manila. With this bridge, I think we will have better access between these two," he said.

DPWH earlier said once finished, this will be considered as the "largest and longest iconic bridge" in the country.

Video from PTV