PGMA’s SONA project, RP’s tallest bridge, now rises; turnover in August

Tacloban City (July 25) — Thanks to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Eastern Visayas has another claim to fame. It will no longer be known only as the home of the longest bridge in the country, the San Juanico Bridge which connects Leyte and Samar Islands.

This time, Eastern Visayas will also be known as the home of the tallest bridge in the country, as President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s SONA Project, the Agas-Agas Bridge, has been completed before the end of July and is set to be turned over in the early part of August 2009.

The Agas-Agas Bridge located at Barangay Kahupian, Sogod, Southern Leyte, is an engineering masterpiece, the first-ever in the country that would be supported by 85-meter piers with heights equivalent to a 25-story building.

In an interview with Department of Public Works and Highways Region 8 Director Angelito Twano, he said that the P995 million project was undertaken by the Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co., Ltd., and was funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency- Official Development Assistance under the second phase of the Philippine-Japan Friendship Highway Rehabilitation Project.

Built over a gorge on the Agas-Agas mountain, the bridge majestically spans 1.5 kilometers in a breathtaking view, connecting mountains of lush forest abundant with flora and fauna.

Even DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane was so struck by the spectacular panorama of the Agas Agas Bridge that he ordered the construction of a viewing deck at the middle part of the bridge so that motorists will be able to better appreciate the view of the surrounding mountainous areas and forests.

Having a keen eye for beauty, Secretary Ebdane saw the tourism potential of the area. He said that the bridge could in the future be used for bungee jumping, for adventure tourism. He also ordered the construction of comfort rooms and sheds on both sides of the bridge where weary motorists can relax and rest.

Right now, a parking space has been developed as the area has been found to be a very good picnic or camping site.

“Because it is considered as an engineering feat in the country, the Agas-Agas Bridge has the potential of becoming a tourist destination in Eastern Visayas,” Secretary Ebdane said.

The construction of the bridge was seen as a permanent solution to the natural movements of loose soil aggregates, or landslides, in this mountainous area during rainy days reportedly due to a fault line that hinder traffic when the highway is blocked, sometimes resulting to loss of lives and properties.

The project was included in the rehabilitation of Daang Maharlika Project under the “Super-Regions” concept of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo inasmuch as the road network served as a vital link connecting Luzon and Mindanao via the Maharlika highway through the Liloan Ferry Terminal and the newly completed ferry terminal in Benit, San Ricardo, Southern Leyte. (PIA