The Santa Monica–Lawton Bridge

The Santa Monica–Lawton Bridge, also known as the Bonifacio Global City–Ortigas Link Bridge, is four-lane, two-way bridge currently under construction across the Pasig River in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. It will connect Lawton Avenue in Makati to Sta. Monica Street in Kapitolyo, Pasig.

Those who constantly travel to and from the Ortigas Business District in Pasig and Bonifacio Global City might soon spend a lot less time stuck in traffic.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) says that the government’s BGC-Ortigas Center Link Road Project will “do wonders to help decongest traffic in Metro Manila.” The structure is pegged to cost P1.6 billion to build, and will span a total of 961 meters.

The groundbreaking ceremony on the project took place last July 19, 2017, marking the official start of construction.

Construction first started in July 2017, and the project’s target completion date is June 2020.

Once the BGC-Ortigas Center Link Road Project completed, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) says it will serve as an alternate route for motorists looking to travel from Pasig to Taguig and vice versa. The four-lane bridge is expected to serve as a major alternate route for motorists traveling from Pasig (via Kapitolyo) to Taguig and vice versa.

Part of the 961-meters BGC-Ortigas Center Link Road, the current pace of works at the 613-meters Sta. Monica to Lawton Bridge which would cross Pasig River from Lawton Avenue, Makati City to Sta. Monica in Pasig City was witnessed by DPWH Undersecretary for Technical Services and UPMO Operations Emil K. Sadain in an inspection on Holy Wednesday, April 17, 2019 with Project Engineers Ricarte Mañalac and Emmanuel Regodon of DPWH UPMO RMC 1, Project Manager Nonito Mercado of Persan Construction, and Project Manager Eric Ruiz and Resident Engineer Rodolfo Villafuerte of DCCD Engineering Corporation.

According to a 2018 report by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), cited in CNN Philippines, the Philippines loses about ₱3.5 billion a day because of traffic. By 2035, it can increase to ₱5.4 billion if there will be no effective intervention. JICA mentioned that infrastructure building is key to decongesting Manila roads. It may worsen the current traffic due to construction, but it yields positive returns in the long run.

Along with the support for ‘Build, Build, Build’, the government’s ambitious infrastructure development program, JICA pointed out the need for efficient transport systems and more property developments outside the metro to ease traffic woes.