The Department of Public Works (DPWH) announced Friday, Nov. 10, that it has signed a civil works contract with a Chinese company for the construction of the Davao River Bridge project worth ₱3.126 billion.
DPWH Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan approved the contract signed by DPWH Senior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain and China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) General Manager Ren Xiaopeng last Nov. 3.
The Davao River Bridge, also known as the Bucana Bridge, will be 1,340 meters long and involves the construction of a four-lane, six-span extradosed bridge, a link road, traffic engineering, lighting, and other ancillary amenities.
Sadain said the Chinese project management company also confirmed the civil works contract agreement for the soon-to-be modern bridge on Nov. 8.
The project will be funded under the China-Aid Grant and situated at the Davao River estuary. It is expected to be completed by November 2025.
Sadain said the bridge is expected to have a "major effect" on the transportation network in Davao City as it will be an essential part of and a complement to the Davao City Coastal Road.
He stated that the signing of the contract reflects the official start of the Bucana Bridge construction phase and the formalization of agreements with the selected construction company that was acquired through competitive bidding among the shortlisted contractors of the Government of the People's Republic of China (GPRC).
Based on the Exchange of Letters reached on Nov. 20, 2018, the GPRC awarded the Philippines a grant for the construction of the China-Aid Localized Project for the Davao River Bridge.
The GPRC and the Philippine government signed the implementation agreement just last Oct. 20 of this year.
Meanwhile, the DPWH-CRBC contract signing was also attended by Counsellor Yang Guoliang of the Embassy of China in the Philippines, CRBC Assistant General Manager Zhang Lei, Project Director Rodrigo I. Delos Reyes of DPWH Unified Project Management Office - Bridges Management Cluster (UPMO-BMC), and DPWH OIC-Chief Accountant June E. Balisi.
Sadain extended his gratitude to the Government of the People's Republic of China for engaging with the Philippines on various projects "that have not only boosted infrastructure but also fueled economic growth."
Among them are the Binondo-Intramuros Bridge in Manila and the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge in Makati and Mandaluyong, both across the Pasig River, which were the first DPWH UPMO-implemented infrastructure projects in 2017. (Trixee Rosel)