About a month ago, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced that work on the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge is 8% ahead of schedule. DPWH Secretary Mark Villar even said that the bridge was already 72% complete. That meant that in just a few months, the public could use the new bridge.

Fast forward to February, and the DPWH said that they are on track for the opening of the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge this 2021. According to Villar, the bridge is now 78.5% complete and can accommodate 50,000 vehicles daily once construction is complete. More importantly, travel time between Mandaluyong and Makati will only take 12 minutes.

Currently, the remaining civil works on the bridge are covering formworks, rebar installation in two segments of a prestressed concrete girder on the Mandaluyong side. The DPWH is also busy with two more segments on the Makati side. They are also putting a second lift box girder for the approach bridge in Makati.

Once completed, the new 506-linear meter bridge will have four-lanes along with 3-meter sidewalks on both sides. The DPWH also said that the bridge helps decongest EDSA of traffic as it can serve as an alternate route for motorists.

Closed in January 2019, the previous Estrella-Pantaleon bridge only had two lanes and can accommodate 22,000 vehicles daily. With the bridge closed, motorists had no choice but to take alternate routes. These included the Makati-Mandaluyong Bridge that connects Makati Avenue to Mandaluyong and the Guadalupe Bridge along EDSA.

With the bridge opening soon, expect faster travel times from Rockwell in Makati to Estrella Street in Mandaluyong (and vice versa) and burn less fuel along the way.