MINDANAO’S PRIDE The country’s longest road tunnel is currently being built between Davao City and Panabo City in Davao del Norte, in the home region of former President Rodrigo Duterte. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS PHOTO.
DAVAO CITY, Davao del Sur, Philippines —The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said that work on the P46.8-billion 45.5-kilometer bypass road between this city and Panabo City in Davao del Norte is now full steam ahead.
The bypass road is a major infrastructure project in the region planned during the term of President Rodrigo Duterte and continued under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The DPWH, in a statement on Oct. 29, said that civil works on the 2.3-km twin-tube mountain road tunnel, which would be the longest in the country, is being expedited by Filipino and Japanese engineers. The tunnel road will have a 10-meter diameter.
Public Works Senior Undersecretary Emil Sadain noted that tunneling activities already completed 264 meters in one tunnel and 203 meters in another.
The road tunnel is part of the first of six packages of the project. The first contract package costs P13.23 billion and was awarded to the Shimizu-Ulticon-Takenaka joint venture, according to the DPWH.
In addition to building the tunnel road, the contract includes the construction of a 7.9-km four-lane road; three bridges, including the 200-meter bridge across the Davao River; two underpasses and two overpasses; 12 box culvert waterways; and four at-grade intersections.
“People can see that this infrastructure project is making progress and the government is building something that is very exciting,” Sadain said.