Air-conditioned bridge to directly connect passengers from NAIA to casino hotspot

A new bridge linking one of Manila’s busiest airport terminals to a massive casino and hotel complex across the street is expected to spell big benefits for airport passengers when it opens in the first half of 2017.

That was the main message highlighted in Monday’s event seeking to give an update on the bridge project dubbed Runway Manila, being built by Travellers International Hotel Group, the operator of Resorts World Manila.

The structure that will rise 18 meters above Andrews Avenue crosses 220 meters from Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 to the Newport City project just across the street.

For motorists and commuters using the airport, that means a 10-minute walk across an enclosed, air-conditioned bridge, avoiding the busy thoroughfare below.

“It is a privilege to collaborate with the government to enhance the overall travel experience in our country,” Kingson Sian, Travellers president and CEO, said in a statement. “Runway Manila is part of our commitment to champion Philippine tourism and to contribute in nation building.”

According to the company, a unit of taipan Andrew Tan’s Alliance Global Group Inc., the bridge would open within the first semester of 2017.

Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar also said on Monday the bridge was designed to handle 2,000 people at any given time, or 216,000 per day.

“The bridge is for the benefit and free use of the public,” he said. The project was also deemed beneficial given the amount of passenger traffic at Naia Terminal 3, estimated at about 13 million annually.

“The Duterte administration is fully committed not only to reduce vehicular traffic congestion but also to ensure mobility and liveability of our cities. Rest assured, this will not be the last. There would be more bicycle lanes, pedestrian-friendly facilities constructed,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade added.

Travellers said the bridge would also have all-day operational walkalators, elevators and was designed to accommodate elderly and “differently-abled” users.

“Through Runway Manila, travellers can use Newport City as a convenient jump-off point to reach other parts of the metropolis. Newport City is accessible to City Link buses and other forms of public transport,” Travellers said.

With the opening next year, government officials also hoped the project would reduce road congestion around the area.

The Naia complex, spread across four passenger terminals, is the busiest air gateway in the country. It served close to 37 million passengers in 2015, a figure already above its design capacity of 31 million. –Miguel R. Camus