The four-kilometer span connecting Samal Island to Davao City will be completed before the end of the term of President Marcos.
Public Works Secretary Vivencio Dizon made this statement after inspecting the repair of a slippage of a road along mountainous Marilog Highway connecting this city to Bukidnon and Cagayan de Oro City.
Dizon said he would talk with the contractor, the China Road and Bridge Corp., to proceed with the construction that was slowed down by budget constraints and road right of way problem.
Two weeks ago, Dean Ortiz, regional Department of Public Works and Highways spokesman, said the national government allocated a measly less than 10 percent of the bridges’ supposed P4.86 billion allocation this year.
Ortiz said government allocated only P314 million and the regional DPWH here has already asked Malacanang for a supplemental budget to finish the project that spans 4.76 kilometers across the Pakiputan Strait.
Although the project was constrained lately by funding delay, Ortiz said construction was still slightly ahead of schedule, at 62.223 percent, which was 0.6 percent positive slippage.
From the original target completion of December 2027, it was moved to September 2028 and then moved to 2030. It was started in September 2022.
Dizon said the President instructed him to assure of the project completion before the President ends his term in 2028.
‘I am confident that the Davao-Samal Bridge will be completed and passable before the end of the term of President Marcos,’ he told reporters after inspecting inspection the damaged section of the Davao-Bukidnon Road at sitio Marahan, Marilog District, some 65 kilometers north of downtown Davao.
Dizon flew later for aerial inspection of the bridge project.
The bridge project is funded under a P20.8-billion loan agreement with China International Development Cooperation Agency (Cidca). The contractor is China’s leading construction company, which also constructed the longest bridge portion of the 17.783-kilometer coastal road across the Davao River.