The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) yesterday said it has signed a P19.32-billion contract with China Road and Bridge Corp. (CRBC) for the design and construction of the 3.98-kilometer Samal Island to Davao City Connector (SIDC) project.
“We are more than excited to announce that with the signed contract, we can now apply for the loan agreement with the People’s Republic of China thru China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) to proceed with the detailed engineering design (DED) of the Samal Island to Davao City Connector Project,” Mark Villar, DPWH secretary, said in a statement.
The toll-free four-lane bridge will significantly improve mobility and bring down travel time of around 25,000 daily motorists to only two to five minutes between Davao City in Davao del Sur and Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS) in Davao del Norte.
Emil Sadain, DPWH undersecretary for the Unified Project Management Office operations, said CRBC, one of the three shortlisted qualified contractors, bagged the design and build contract of the SIDC following the procurement activities held in November and December 2020.
Once the DED for the SIDC is completed, CRBC will start the 54-month civil works on the project.
SIDC is envisioned as a modern bridge that will connect the Samal Circumferential Road in Barangay Limao, IGaCoS to Davao City in between R. Castillo-Daang Maharlika junction.
Its main span measures 250 meters and has a vertical navigation clearance of up to 47 meters crossing over Pakiputan Strait. The bridge will also be supported by two pylons with a height of 73 meters.
