The PHP19.3 billion Samal Island-Davao City Connector (SIDC) project is expected to be completed by September 2028, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 11 (Davao).
Dean Ortiz, DPWH-11 spokesperson, said in a press briefing Wednesday that as of Nov. 25, the overall project accomplishment stands at 6.45 percent.
The civil works are 3.51 percent completed, while the detailed engineering design (DED) is 97.97 percent finished.
“All the remaining DED plans have been approved as of Nov. 5, 2024,” Ortiz said.
Bored piling works, which began on May 1 this year, have made significant progress.
On the Samal Island side, 100 percent (74 out of 74) of the bored piles for the land viaduct are complete. On the Davao City side, 46.36 percent (51 out of 110) of the bored piles are finished. Pile cap construction on the Davao City side commenced on Sept. 12, 2024.
Ortiz reported that 15.38 percent (four out of 26) of the land viaduct substructure has been completed. In Samal, road-right-of-way issues in Barangay Limao have been resolved, with all 10 affected properties settled and expropriated.
On the Davao City side, negotiations are ongoing for 52 properties -- 36 have been paid, while 16 are under processing.
Ortiz said the DPWH aims to finalize these claims by the first quarter of 2025.
The SIDC bridge, a 3.9-km., four-lane cable-stayed structure, will link Davao City and the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS) over the Pakiputan Strait. It will feature a vertical navigational clearance of 47 meters, landing points at the R. Castillo-Daang Maharlika junction in Davao City, and the Samal Circumferential Road in Barangay Limao.
Once operational, the bridge is expected to serve up to 25,000 vehicles daily, cutting travel time between Davao City and Samal from 30 minutes via ferry to just five minutes. By Che Palicte
Article courtesy of the Philippine News Agency
