DAVAO CITY — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday joined stakeholders in the groundbreaking of the P23.039-Billion Samal Island-Davao City Connector (SIDC) Project.
The President and the Vice President both credited former President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, through former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPHW) Sec. Mark Villar, for laying the preparations for the highly anticipated bridge.
“We would like to thank the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte and Sec. Mark Villar for the initial stages and preparation for Samal Island-Davao City Connector, and we would like to thank the admin of President Bongbong Marcos Jr. for the support and the continuity of the project for Davao City and Island Garden City of Samal,” the Vice President told the media.
Duterte also said the Samal-Davao bridge will answer the long-time dream of the people.
“It’s very important because it will be a showcase of two administrations, two Presidents. This bridge has been a topic of discussion since the 1960s when my grandfather was still governor of the undivided Davao Region. It’s very important politically, economically and, of course, socially here in Davao Region,” she said.
The P23-Billion bridge, funded through a loan agreement between the Philippines and the Chinese Government, will be constructed by the China Road and Bridge Corporation.
The SIDC Project will span 3.98 kilometers, with a width of 24 meters and a height of 73 meters. It will connect the two cities from Samal Circumferential Road in Barangay Limao to R. Castillo — Daang Maharlika road in Davao City traversing Pakiputan Strait. This will cut the travel time between the cities to 4.5 minutes from the usual 30 minutes.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of the Philippines His Excellency Huang Xilian also attended the ceremony.
The construction of the bridge, which features four-lane two-way roads, is expected to be finished by 2027.
OVP MEDIA