It's the newest bridge in the metro connecting two major cities: Pasig and Quezon City.
Positioned as an iconic structure yet short by the usual standards of bridges of such sort—think San Juanico in the Philippines and Golden Gate in the USA—the Parklinks Estates bridge at 110-meters long, and 25-meter-wide road deck is by far the weightiest in the country by the sheer names of the illustrious families behind it: The Tans and the Zobel de Ayalas.
This month, the bridge was launched accompanied with a visual spectacle, a lighting show projected on its 40-meter-high arch. Heightening the holiday feels were Christmas songs that synchronized with the blinking lights of Philips Color Kineticks LED lights created by Signify Philippines and installed by Lythaus Lighting Supply. The presentation will be available at scheduled hours in the evenings through New Year.
Parklinks Bridge's inauguration is a symbolic seal of partnership between two of the biggest established developers in the country: Ayala Land of the Zobels and Eton Properties of the Lucio Tan family.
Beyond its modern aesthetics, Parklinks bridge is also built to withstand the daily stress of passing vehicles. Structural designers Systra Philippines and Systra Korea, ALI and EPPI used 20 steel cables suspended from the arch.
"Representing the elegance of synergism," as described in a handout by the Ayala team, the assymetrically-arranged cables create a dramatic and interesting backdrop that varies when viewed from different angles.
As motorists brave the heavy traffic of the Christmas season, the new Parklinks Bridge provides an alternative route to the jampacked roads of northeast and east of Metro Manila.
Guests who joined the two families were DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, MMDA Chairman Atty. Romand Artes, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto and Quezon City Vice. Mayor Gian Sotto. Incidentally, Mayor Vico and Vice Mayor Gian are first cousins.
The Parkinks Bridge of Lights runs hourly from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays until 7 January 2023.
Major mixed-use development
At 35 hectares, Parklinks is predicted to be the biggest mixed-use development along C5 area. And with 50 percent of the land alotted to green space, It will also be Ayala Land, Inc.'s and Eton Properties Philippines, Inc.'s.
Robert Lao, Senior Vice President and Group Head of Ayala Land Estates, said the shared vision of ALI and EPPI will surely be a lifestyle game changer, "Both parties believe it is important to find a balance between profitability and sustainably, and our shared belief led us to create an estate that will introduce a new way of urban living."
"This bridge will undoubtedly become a popular tourist destination in addition to acting as a connecting structure," said QC Vice Mayor Sotto.
Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto said, "When we look at this property of Parklinks, what we see is actually the last big open space in our city. It was great news for us that we will be maintaining the open spaces, we will be developing the river sides, and we will be maintaining the green spaces, if not improving on them."
Besides the bridge, the major atraction in this property is the three-hectare central park for estate events. It consists of an esplanade, river park terraces and riparian gardens. All these amenities are aimed at giving residents and people working in the area a space for living, working and playing. Marikina River, which runs under the bridge, makes for a soothing natural atraction as well.
Kyle Tan, executive director of Eton Properties Philippines said, "We wanted people to be able to have the best of both worlds in the sense that we wanted people to have the convince of living in a highly urban location without feeling the congestion or the hustle and bustle that an urbanized location generally brings."
Ayala Land Premier and Alveo. Ayala Land Premier has previously launched Parklinks North and South Towers, while Alveo has launched The Lattice Tower 1.
Parklinks will be accessible via C5, Amang Rodriguez Avenue, and Ortigas Avenue. Plans also include additional linkages to the estate's neighboring communities like Circulo Verde and Metropoli.
