The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is eyeing the completion of the widening of the bypass road in Davao City by 2028.
DPWH Senior Undersecretary Emil Sadain said the construction process is going on swiftly and expected to relieve traffic congestion and shorten travel time on the 45.5-kilometer bypass road from the current one hour and 44 minutes to 49 minutes via Maharlika Highway.
He said the Unified Project Management Office-Roads Management Cluster 1 (UPMO-RMC1) is aiming for faster completion and improved infrastructure by accelerating road construction activities.
Sadain, who is overall in charge of DPWH flagship projects, conducted a recent inspection at the 10.7-kilometer contract package I-1 in Davao City.
The ongoing tunnel works demand tunnel excavation, with 1,774 meters in the northbound and 1,599 meters in the southbound. It was financed by a loan agreement between the Government of the Philippines and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Meanwhile, Sadain, together with UPMO RMC 1 Project Director Benjamin Bautista and Project Manager Lope Pajarillaga, observed substantial progress in the construction of the seven bridges with an aggregate length of 1.26 kilometers under the contract package II-1.
This contract package, with a cumulative accomplishment of 27 percent, has a total length of 2.54 kilometers and consists of 1.28 kilometers of four-lane road section and seven bridges at Station 29+700 in Barangay Indangan to Station 32+240 in Barangay Mudiang.
The 3.52 kilometers, composed of 2.5 kilometers of four-lane road sections and seven bridges with an aggregate length of 1.015 kilometers and three overpass bridges under contract package II-2, were also on-going.
Project Manager Ricarte Mañalac supervises the contract package that starts at Station 32+240 in Barangay Mudiang and ends at Station 35+760 in Barangay Mahayag.
Sadain said that as part of DPWH UPMO Operations' innovative approach, engineering facilities can be transformed into dynamic learning environments that would be turned over to the Department of Education once the project is finished.