Gov. Arthur Yap pushes for a viaduct connected to the third bridge linking Tagbilaran and Panglao Island, which will serve as a starting point of a plan for the old airport and a way to connect the northern towns of Bohol to Panglao’s tourism sector.
The governor is pushes for a viaduct expressway as an added phase to the construction of the proposed third bridge connecting Tagbilaran to Panglao Island.
Currently, the Borja bridge known as the junction bridge and the causeway bridge are the two (2) connecting infrastructures between Tagbilaran and Panglao Island.
On Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2020, Yap made a motion during the meeting of the Regional Development Council (RDC)-7 Infrastructure Development Committee (IDC), which resulted in the approval of a resolution asking the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to authorize a study to be immediately undertaken for a possible phase 2 of the third Panglao-Tagbilaran Bridge construction.
The phase 2 construction proposal, involves the building of a viaduct and an expressway with an exit to unlock additional real estate potential in Tagbilaran City and to create connectivity between the northern municipalities with the towns in the south of Bohol, particularly Panglao and its tourism opportunities.
The governor’s proposal, as presented to the RDC, is to build a connector infrastructure or and viaduct highway in the portion where the bridge connects to downtown Tagbilaran near the seaport. The express viaduct highway then will connect to the barangay Manga portion of Tagbilaran with an exit going to the old Tagbilaran airport.
In the future, the plan is to create another road network from barangay Manga to connect the towns north of the city.
The governor already wrote a letter about the proposal to DPWH 7 regional director Edgar Tabacon and to DPWH Sec. Mark Villar, according to a Capitol Media report.
The National Economic Development Authority has already approved the third bridge project. The bridge starts in barangay Sonculan in Dauis to the tourist sea port area of Tagbilaran City.
THE FUTURE OF THE OLD AIRPORT
It has been almost two (2) years since the old Tagbilaran airport hosted a flight. All those air traffic coming into Bohol have shifted to the ultra-modern Bohol Panglao International Airport (BPIA).
The reality with the old airport is that it is a prime real estate and currently it sits idle.
Yap says there is a plan for the old Tagbilaran airport located in barangay Cogon to become a creative industry hub and funding the study for the plan is the World Bank.
He said there are studies that in communities with a robust creative industry involving arts and culture, there is a commensurate increase in salaries and job opportunities.
The governor also said that whenever there is a creative industry placed in a society, there is a commensurate increase in real estate value and an increase in the income of the local residents.
Based on the World Bank’s proposal, it is a great idea to utilize the space in the old Tagbilaran airport, which currently is doing nothing, he said.
The old airport, the governor added, can be used for retail shops and dining places, with a sufficient parking space.
The plan for the old airport may spur the city’s transformation as real estate value will increase and there will be a change in the cityscape for the next 50 years, he said.
CONNECTING THE NORTHERN TOWNS
The future outlook of the proposed project is to create a road network that will link gateway towns in the north such as Tubigon or Getafe to the international airport in Panglao.
Tourists coming into Bohol via the ports in Tubigon or Getafe may have an option to visit Panglao or even exit through the international airport.