The Asian Development Bank has committed P500 million to fund the feasibility study for the proposed 20-kilometer Sorsogon-Samar Transport Crossing across the San Bernardino Strait.

The funding commitment was disclosed during House plenary deliberations on the Department of Public Works and Highways’ proposed 2027 budget.

Surigao del Sur Rep. Romeo Momo Sr., relaying information from Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon during the 24 September debates, said the ADB funding would augment the P130 million initially appropriated by Congress for the study.

House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan, one of the project’s main proponents, welcomed the ADB’s participation.

“We are very pleased that the ADB has decided to come on board the Sorsogon-Samar Transport Crossing project at this early stage,” Libanan said Sunday.

“We never doubted the readiness of international development partners to support the project, considering its exceptionally high economic rate of return.”

Lawmakers from Eastern Visayas have been pushing for a fixed link between Matnog, Sorsogon, and Allen, Northern Samar, to provide a permanent road connection between Luzon and the Visayas.

The Matnog-Allen route, a key corridor for goods moving between Luzon and Mindanao, is currently served by roll-on/roll-off ferries that can be affected by port congestion and bad weather.

The proposed crossing is expected to cut travel time between Matnog and Allen to about 20 minutes from roughly 2.5 hours by ferry under favorable conditions.

Libanan said the SSTC would be a technically complex project requiring extensive marine, bathymetric, geological and geotechnical studies.

The feasibility study will examine oceanographic conditions, seismic risks, navigation, environmental and social impacts, and exposure to typhoons and other extreme weather events.

The project is expected to consist of three long-span bridges linking Allen to San Antonio, San Antonio to Capul, and Capul to Matnog. Other options being considered include a submerged floating tunnel and a deep-sea tunnel.

The DPWH has characterized the project as having a high potential economic return.

Dizon earlier estimated the SSTC’s economic rate of return at 42 percent, compared with 33 percent for the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge.

Expected benefits include reduced travel time and vehicle operating costs, lower logistics expenses, increased trade and tourism, more employment and better access to markets and essential services.

A project concept brief prepared by T.Y. Lin International Group Ltd. estimated that the crossing could generate nearly P1 trillion in annual economic benefits.

The brief described the project as “the missing link” in the national highway system and estimated annual benefits of P975 billion, including P296 billion in vehicle operating cost savings, P291 billion in land development and tourism impact, P272 billion in time-value savings and P116 billion in logistics efficiency.