Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge closed to motorists starting Jan. 12

In its advisory Friday, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) would demolish and reconstruct the bridge and widen it to four from two lanes. (File Photo: Arianne Grace Lacanilao/Philippine Canadian Inquirer)

MANILA — The Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge connecting the cities of Makati and Mandaluyong will be closed starting Saturday (Jan. 12) to pave the way for widening works.

In its advisory Friday, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) would demolish and reconstruct the bridge and widen it to four from two lanes.

“The DPWH timeline said that the project will be completed in 2021,” according to the MMDA advisory.

The DPWH has earlier postponed the closure of the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge, which was originally set in September last year, due to its impact on traffic flow during the holiday season.

Based on MMDA’s earlier estimates, around 100,000 vehicles traveling between Makati and Mandaluyong would be diverted to the Guadalupe Bridge.

The reconstruction of the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge is one of the two bridge projects on the Pasig River — the other being the Binondo-Intramuros span in Manila — that would be funded by China based on development assistance agreements with the Duterte administration.