Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge
Also known as: BCIB · Bataan-Cavite Bridge · Manila Bay Bridge
Definition
The Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge (BCIB) is a proposed toll road project consisting of long sea crossings and causeways across Manila Bay that would connect Mariveles in Bataan with Naic in Cavite. At roughly 32 kilometers, it would rank among the longest over-water bridges in the world and dramatically shorten travel between Central Luzon and the CALABARZON region.
Identities
| Database | Identifier |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | Bataan–Cavite Interlink Bridge |
| Wikidata | Q97354966 |
| DBpedia | N/A |
Also Known As
- BCIB
- Bataan-Cavite Bridge
- Manila Bay Bridge
Examples and Analogies
The project is often compared to sea-crossing tollways like the Hangzhou Bay Bridge in China: instead of driving all the way around the bay through Metro Manila traffic, vehicles would cut straight across the water, the way a ferry shortcut works but without leaving the highway.
Usage Scenarios
Once built, the bridge would let trucks bound for the Bataan Free Port and Subic reach Cavite, Batangas, and Laguna industrial estates without traversing Metro Manila, support logistics between the Subic-Clark corridor and CALABARZON ports, and open Bataan’s coasts to tourism circuits.
Strategies
The Department of Public Works and Highways has pursued detailed engineering design with international financing partners, geotechnical seabed studies, and alignment adjustments to avoid major shipping lanes, anchorage areas, and aquaculture zones in the bay.
Security and Safety Measures
Design safeguards include navigation spans tall and wide enough for ships entering northern Manila Bay, seismic detailing for the West Valley Fault system, all-weather operation protocols, and toll plaza surveillance, given the structure’s expected role in national freight movement.
Historical Context
The concept gained momentum in the late 2010s under the Build, Build, Build infrastructure program as planners sought decongestion alternatives for Metro Manila’s roads and ports. Asian Development Bank support advanced preparation studies, with construction phased toward the 2030s.
Challenges and Controversies
Critics question the multibillion-peso cost versus alternative port decongestion measures, while fisherfolk groups in Bataan and Cavite raise concerns over mangrove and fishing-ground impacts. Winning bidders, alignment changes, and funding decisions have shifted timelines, leaving the start of full construction uncertain.
Related Topic
Manila Bay