Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar. (PNA file photo)
DAVAO CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will start the construction of the long-awaited Davao-Samal bridge connection next year, an official said Tuesday.
In a Palace virtual presser on Tuesday, Secretary Mark Villar said they targeted to finish the bidding of the project in October and November this year.
“Our format of this project is the design and build. They will make the final design, however, we can also expect some design adjustments but more or less the bridge alignment has already been set,” Villar said.
By December, Villar noted that the PHP23-billion Davao-Samal Bridge project’s loan agreement will also be completed.
“We expect by next year we will have a normal implementation of the project,” Villar said, citing some delays might occur due to the current coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
Still, he made assurances that the timeline of the project’s completion will not be affected.
Without giving the exact timeline, Villar added, “it will take several years to complete."
The bridge project was supposed to break ground in July this year but was canceled because of the pandemic.
With a length of about 2,830 meters, the bridge would provide a vital link for trade and tourism for both areas through reduced transport costs and faster flow of people, goods, and resources.
Conceptualized 40 years ago, the bridge project has been identified as among the big-ticket infrastructure initiatives under President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration. (PNA)
