A major milestone in Philippine infrastructure development is just days away, as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced that fewer than 2 meters remain before the excavation breakthrough of the 2.3-kilometer southbound tunnel of the Davao City Bypass Construction Project (DCBCP).
The breakthrough, expected this week, will mark a historic achievement in the 45.5-kilometer bypass project, which features the country’s first long-distance road tunnel system built through mountainous terrain.
The announcement followed an on-site assessment on Aug. 22, 2025, by DPWH Senior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain, who oversees flagship infrastructure projects funded through official development assistance (ODA). He was joined by UPMO Roads Management Cluster I Project Director Benjamin A. Bautista, UPMO Bridges Management Cluster Project Director Rodrigo I. Delos Reyes, and Stakeholders Relations Service Director Randy R. Del Rosario.
In his report to DPWH Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan, Sadain described the impending breakthrough as a landmark achievement — not only for the Davao City Bypass but for Philippine infrastructure as a whole.
“This milestone showcases the exceptional coordination, engineering expertise, and resilience of the Filipino engineers and technical workers, who undertook tunneling operations under complex geological conditions,” Sadain said.
The northbound tunnel was successfully excavated in March 2025, bringing the twin-tube tunnel system closer to full operational readiness.
Once fully completed, the DCBCP is expected to cut travel time between Davao City and surrounding areas by more than 40 minutes, significantly easing traffic congestion and enhancing regional connectivity. The project is part of the government’s broader strategy to modernize infrastructure using advanced tunneling technologies.
The bypass is funded through a mix of Japanese ODA under Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Loan Agreements PH-P261 and PH-P273, along with funding from the Philippine government.
Secretary Bonoan noted that the twin-tube mountain road tunnel represents only the beginning as the Philippines enters a new era of road infrastructure that embraces innovation.
“Another major road tunnel initiative is being developed under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Build Better More program — the 23-kilometer Dalton Pass East Alignment Road Project, which will connect Nueva Ecija in Central Luzon to Nueva Vizcaya in the Cagayan Valley Region. This project will feature tunnel sections nearly twice as long as those in the Davao Bypass,” Sadain added.
The Dalton Pass project will include 6.121 kilometers of twin-tube tunnels, with the northern and southern segments measuring approximately 4.516 kilometers and 1.605 kilometers, respectively. It also involves the construction of 10 bridges with a combined length of 5.828 kilometers, along with slope protection works.
Procurement for design consultants is underway, with detailed engineering design expected to begin by early 2026.
