TACLOBAN CITY: Plans have been laid for the construction of the PHP5.05 billion bridge in Liloan, Southern Leyte to replace a 47-year-old existing bridge within the nautical highway that links Luzon to Mindanao. The proposed bridge traversing Panaon Strait connects Panaon Island to Leyte Island and involves the construction of a 230-meter cable-stayed main bridge, a 146-meter approach bridge, and a 345-meter approach road, which will replace the dilapidated Liloan Bridge. Financed by the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) and the Philippine government, the whole project is up for completion in six years. 'There is a need for a new bridge construction as the existing Liloan Bridge connecting the two islands, which was opened in 1977, has been experiencing rapid deterioration over the course of decades of usage and losing its capacity to accommodate the current traffic volume,' the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said in its project briefer sent to the Regional Development Council (RDC). The RDC reported that Korean experts held a feasibility study from July 29, 2022, to September 27, 2023, also funded by Eximbank. The bridge forms part of the nautical highway that connects the islands of Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao. By 2030, it is expected that the bridge will have an annual daily traffic of 5,711. The bridge leads to Liloan and Benit ports, which host regular Southern Leyte-Surigao trips. Source: Philippines News Agency