MANILA — China and the Philippines have recently signed contracts to build three more bridges in the capital Metro Manila to help improve traffic congestion, the Chinese embassy in the Philippines said on Dec 21.

The three bridges, which will cost around $240 million, is a government-to-government cooperation project between the two countries to be bankrolled by China. The construction of the bridges is expected to kick off in the first half of 2021.

According to a statement released by the Chinese embassy, the first bridge, the North and South Harbor Bridge in the port area of Manila, is designed to be two-way four-lane. The total implementation period is around 40 months. Once completed, the bridge will be able to accommodate more than 5,800 vehicles per day.

The second is the two-way four-lane Eastbank-Westbank Bridge connecting Pasig City and Cainta City in Metro Manila over the Manggahan Floodway. It will carry more than 18,000 vehicles per day after a three-year construction.

The third bridge is the two-way two-lane Palanca-Villegas Bridge crossing over the Pasig River in Manila. After a construction period of 26 months, the bridge is expected to carry over 2,900 vehicles per day.

The commercial contracts for the implementation of the bridges have been signed by two Chinese companies and the Department of Public Works and Highways of the Philippines.

The bridges are a part of the Twelve Priority Bridges Under the Pasig-Marikina River and Manggahan Floodway Bridges Construction Project in Metro Manila which aims to improve the road network and increase the transportation capacity in the Philippines' capital region.

The on-going China-granted Binondo-Intramuros Bridge and Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge over the Pasig River are also key components of the project.