By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Ensuring improved connectivity by improving road access over the Cagayan River, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. welcomed the opening of the Camalaniugan Bridge in a ceremony at the namesake town on Thursday, January 8.
The cable-stayed bridge will reduce the travel time between the municipalities of Aparri and Ballesteros from one hour to 20 minutes, benefitting 6,000 travelers a day and serving as an alternate route to the Magapit Suspension Bridge.
It has a total length of 1,580 meters, with 1,100 meters of approach bridges and a 480-meter cable-stayed main span.
In his speech at the event, President Marcos Jr. hailed this development as pivotal in contributing to further growth and development in the area by easing congestion and streamlining the flow of goods and services in northern Cagayan.
He expressed his gratitude to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the completion of the bridge, “Despite all of the other issues that we are having to deal with, patuloy pa rin ang kanilang naging trabaho kaya naman nakarating na ang araw na ito na binuksan natin ang Camalaniugan Bridge.”
Hunan Road and Bridge Construction Group Co., Ltd. was tapped in the design and construction of the bridge, which began in May 2020.
This was followed by a groundbreaking ceremony in June 2021—with civil works continuing thereafter until the bridge opened to traffic on Thursday.
The Chief Executive concluded his remarks by reassuring local chief executives that this bridge will bring about meaningful changes that would resonate with their constituents.
“Ako’y nakakasiguro na ang tulay na ito—magbabago ang ekonomiya sa magkabila ng tulay na ito. Maraming mabubuksan and this will give many opportunities for the surrounding areas—new jobs, new businesses.”
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