The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is full speed ahead in the on-going 2.3-kilometer mountain road tunnel at the central portion of Davao City Bypass Construction Project aimed at improving mobility between Davao City and Panabo City.

In his briefing to DPWH Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan, Senior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain said that an expert tunnelling team from Japan together with Filipino engineers and skilled workers are expediting civil works for the on-going contract package 1 which covers the construction of a twin-tube 10 meter-diameter mountain road tunnel, the longest in the Philippines and an important component of the 45.5-kilometer Davao City Bypass Construction Project.

Davao City Bypass Construction Project is among the priority large-scale infrastructure project started during the term of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and continued as planned under the administration of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr.

Senior Undersecretary Sadain reported that progress of the on-going tunnel civil works at the north portal covering tunnel excavation, shotcrete works for excavation face, installation of steel ribs, wiremesh and final shotcrete, drilling and installation of rockbolts simultaneously at the northbound and southbound directions are at 196-meter and 237-meter, respectively.

Secretary Bonoan together with Senior Undersecretary Sadain; Undersecretaries Eugenio R. Pipo Jr. and Carlos G. Mutuc; Project Directors Benjamin A. Bautista, Ramon A. Arriola III, and Rodrigo I. Delos Reyes of the Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations; and DPWH Region XI Director Rey Peter Gille inspected the on-going package 1 particularly the road tunnel’s north portal at Barangay Waan.

“I am thrilled to see this project come to fruition, and really amazed to the tunnelling technologies and innovations using state-of-the-art equipment now applied here in the Philippines”, Secretary Bonoan said.

Meanwhile, progress of the tunnelling activities from the opposite end at the south portal is at 264-meter for northbound direction and 203-meter at southbound direction.

“People can see that this infrastructure project is making progress and the government is building something that is very exciting”, added Senior Undersecretary Sadain.

The project is also expected to develop Filipino engineers and skilled workers with a new technical know-how on tunneling.

Other than the mountain road tunnel, contract package 1 costing ₱13.230 Billion awarded to Shimizu – Ulticon - Takenaka joint venture involves the construction of four (4)-lane road with a length of 7.9 kilometers; three (3) bridges including the 200 meters Davao River Bridge; two (2) underpasses and two (2) overpasses; 12 box culverts (waterways); and four (4) at-grade intersection.

Implemented by DPWH UPMO Operations - Roads Management Cluster I (Bilateral) headed by Project Director Bautista, the on-going project is under the on-site supervision and monitoring by Project Manager Joselito B. Reyes and Engrs. Juan M. Diña Jr. and Earl Nicholas F. Rada with Nippon Koei – Katahira - Nippon Engineering - Philkoei as engineering consultants.

The Davao City Bypass Construction Project starting from Davao-Digos section of the Pan-Philippine Highway in Brgy Sirawan, Davao City going to Davao-Panabo section of the Pan-Philippine Highway in Brgy J.P. Laurel, Panabo City is expected to ease traffic situations along the areas.

To optimize the construction schedule, the entire bypass road with a total length of 45.5 kilometer costing ₱46.8 Billion is divided into six (6) packages.

The on-going CP 1-1 covering a 10.7 kilometers of 4-lane highway; CP 1-3 with a length of 6.1 kilometers with civil works procurred and to start early next year after the concurrence of contract; and CP 1-2 with a length of 12.8 kilometers are financed by Official Development Assistance (ODA) with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) thru the Special Terms for Economic Partnership (STEP) Loan Agreement Nos. PH-P261 and PH-P273 amounting ₱27.73 Billion and Government of the Philippines counterpart funds of ₱5.7 Billion.

CP 2-1 (2.7 kilometers), CP 2-2 (3.5 kilometers), and CP 2-3 (9.7 kilometers) for civil works procurement will be implemeted through funds of the Philippine government amounting ₱13.37 Billion.

Once completed by 2027, the bypass road will slash travel time between Toril, Davao City and the northern Panabo City, Davao Del Norte to under 49 minutes from the usual travel time of 1 hour and 44 minutes via Maharlika Highway.

https://www.dpwh.gov.ph/dpwh/news/28412