Samal-Davao bridge done by Sept 2028

DEVELOPMENT IMPACT Dead tiered table corals, also known as centennial table corals (photo taken on Nov. 12), can be seen just 2 meters off the construction site of the craneway that will be used to build the P23-billion Samal Island–Davao City Connector project at the Samal side. —BONG S. SARMIENTO AND JOHN MICHAEL LACSON

DEVELOPMENT IMPACT Dead-tiered table corals, also known as centennial table corals (photo taken on Nov. 12), can be seen just 2 meters off the construction site of the crane way that will be used to build the P23-billion Samal Island–Davao City Connector project at the Samal side. —BONG S. SARMIENTO AND JOHN MICHAEL LACSON

MANILA, Philippines — The construction of the P23.52-billion Samal Island-Davao City Connector project is on track to be completed by September 2028, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The 4.76-kilometer (km) bridge designed with four lanes has reached a completion rate of 11.87 percent as of the latest reporting.

The government tapped China Road and Bridges Corp. as the design-and-build contractor of the project, which also includes ramps, roundabouts, and marine and land viaducts.

READ: Samal-Davao bridge work destroys coral reef, says expert

The bridge will have a 275-meter (m) main span and a 1.62-km marine crossing. It will be built with two pylons standing 73 m above sea level.

DPWH Senior Undersecretary Emil Sadain, in a statement, said they aim to “improve connectivity nationwide by providing essential transportation links that will significantly enhance the quality of life for Filipinos.”

Apart from easing mobility, Sadain said this project could also boost economic activities in the region.

The project is funded by an official development assistance loan from China.

Apart from this, the government is also working on another inter-island bridge, the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge. The project received P64 billion in financing from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank last year.

The 32-km bridge starts from Barangay Alas-asin in Mariveles, Bataan, crosses Manila Bay, and ends in Barangay Timalan, Naic, Cavite. The project is designed to reduce travel time between the provinces to 45 minutes from 5.5 hours.

It is designed to have energy-efficient street lights and climate-resilient bridge alert systems.

The Bataan-Cavite bridge, which is part of the government’s Inter-Island Linkage Bridge program, is one of the current administration’s infrastructure flagship projects.

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