DPWH: Big-ticket flagship projects in Davao region progressing

DAVAO CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) disclosed on Tuesday, May 28, that big-ticket flagship projects in the Davao region are progressing.

In a press conference dubbed Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas at the DPWH-11 office here, DPWH-11 Director Juby B. Cordon revealed the ongoing implementation of major projects in the region, including those that began during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s term.

Cordon said that the much-anticipated Samal Island-Davao City (SIDC) Connector Project will soon be completed. She said the design and build of the project have accounted for an overall actual weighted physical accomplishment of 3.487 percent.

DEPARTMENT of Public Works and Highways-11 Director Juby B. Cordon and spokesperson Dean Ortiz discuss big-ticket projects in Davao City and Davao region in a press conference dubbed ‘Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas’ at the DPWH-11  in Davao City on May 28. (Ivy Tejano)
 

The P23-billion project, spanning 3.98 kilometers toll-free, with four lanes – two lanes in each direction – with extra dosed ramps here and 24-meter wide at grade road and roundabout in Samal, is designed to serve about 25,000 vehicles daily and is expected to be completed by August 2027.

Cordon said the bridge will be built with a 275-meter main span and a vertical navigation clearance of 47-meter crossing over the Pakiputan Strait. She added that the Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) is the best office to provide complete details about the project.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. initiated the groundbreaking ceremony for the SIDC project which will connect Samal Island to this city. In a recent update, authorized employees installed a crane to lift the large equipment and materials for the construction of posts.

“The right-of-way (ROW) process is progressing smoothly. We have acquired 25 percent or 14 out of the 55 affected lots in Davao City through negotiation, and we are addressing the rest through expropriation,” DPWH-11 spokesperson Dean Ortiz said.

Ortiz said 223 trees were cut down near the coast of Insular Village in Lanang District. He added that such a move went through proper consultation and that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) implemented certain safeguards.

The Save Davao Movement (SDM) is considering taking legal action on the project for urgent environmental concerns such as the cutting of these trees and the project's impact on the marine ecosystem in Samal.

“There are certain safeguards implemented by DENR and part of their Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) states that for every tree we cut, we replace it with 100 trees. So we turned over seedlings to the DENR to plant them in their established areas,” Ortiz said.

Cordon reported substantial accomplishments in the 17.78-kilometer Davao Coastal Road, which involved the construction, opening, and asphalt paving of a 23-meter wide four-lane road with a bicycle lane, with slope safety including access roads and junctions with a length of 1.40 kilometers.

She said the coastal road, which is 75.22 percent complete based on total project cost, including the Bucana Bridge, will start at Jacinto Bago (south), Jacinto Talomo, Matina Aplaya, Roxas Ave., and Santa Ana Wharf to R. Castillo Ave. (north) and is divided into four segments.

These are:

Segment A: Bago Aplaya to Times Beach, 8.019 kilometers

Segment B: Times Beach to Roxas Ave., 4.435 kilometers

Segment C: Roxas Ave. to Santa Ana Wharf Road, 1.754 kilometers

Segment D: Santa Ana Wharf Road to Jerome, R. Castillo, 3.575 kilometers

Cordon said the 1,340-meter Bucana Bridge, with 480.2 meters of total civil works – construction of the four-lane, six-span, extradosed bridge, and approach roads crossing the Davao River – will complement the coastal road as an alternate route to the existing urban road network of the city.

“Davao City is currently experiencing traffic congestion and is expected to generate a large volume of diverted traffic. We are hoping that by November 2025, we will be able to complete the bridge 100 percent,” Cordon said, adding that as of April 30, the project is 15.69 percent complete.

Cordon said the UPMO has started the construction of the bypass road with a total length of 45.5 kilometers in Barangay Sirawan in Toril District here and will end up in Barangay J.P. Laurel in Panabo City.

She added that the project, 49.43 percent complete as of April 2024, is a transformative initiative to alleviate congestion and enhance road connectivity for residents and commuters.

The bypasses and diversion roads are priority projects under the Traffic Decongestion Program to increase road network capacity and expand the High Standard Highways/Expressways. DPWH-11 is implementing 54 bypasses and diversion roads and has completed 77.487 kilometers from 2022 to April 2024.

Other big-ticket projects that the DPWH-11 is working on and in progress are the Maa Magtuod Flyover in Davao City, Ulas Viaduct, Davao Metropolitan Bike Lane Network, Matanao-Kiblawan-Padada town road, Mawab-Maragusan-Caraga town road, and Igacos Circumferential Road.

Cordon said the Davao Metropolitan Bike Lane Network, which starts here  and ends in Tagum City, will be inaugurated on May 31. She added that the Igacos Circumferential Road is also nearing total completion with a little funding needed.

Big-ticket projects completed in 2023 were the Agdao Farmers’ Market and Southern Philippines Medical Center, both in Davao City, the DPWH-11 regional director said. She said these projects generated 87,346 jobs across Davao region.