DAVAO CITY – The P19.3 billion Samal Island-Davao City Connector (SIDC) project is expected to be completed by September 2028, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 11 (Davao).
The SIDC bridge, a 3.9-km., four-lane cable-stayed structure, will link Davao City and the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS) over the Pakiputan Strait. It will feature a vertical navigational clearance of 47 meters, landing points at the R. Castillo-Daang Maharlika junction in Davao City, and the Samal Circumferential Road in Barangay Limao.
Once operational, the bridge is expected to serve up to 25,000 vehicles daily, cutting travel time between Davao City and Samal from 30 minutes via ferry to just five minutes.
Dean Ortiz, DPWH-11 spokesperson, said in a press briefing Wednesday, the overall project accomplishment stands at 6.45 percent.
The civil works are 3.51 percent completed, while the detailed engineering design (DED) is 97.97 percent finished.
“All the remaining DED plans have been approved as of November 2024,” Ortiz said.
Bored piling works, which began on May 1 this year, have made significant progress.
Ortiz reported that four out of 26 of the land viaduct substructure have been completed.
Meanwhile, in Samal, road-right-of-way issues in Barangay Limao have been resolved, with all 10 affected properties settled and expropriated.
On the Davao City side, negotiations are ongoing for 52 properties — 36 have been paid, while 16 are under processing.
Ortiz said the DPWH aims to finalize these claims by the first quarter of 2025.
(PNA)