Davao City’s P28B bypass project starts tunelling works

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Perspective image of the Davao Bypass south tunnel.
  • Davao City’s P28B bypass project starts tunelling works
  • A ceremony kicking off the Davao City Bypass Construction Project was held on May 12 with tunnelling work at the northbound tube south portal
  • Simultaneous tunnel boring should result in speedy construction of the 2.3km first-ever long-distance mountain tunnel in the Philippines
  • The 45.5km bypass should reduce traffic congestion in Davao City and cut travel time between Toril, Davao City and J.P. Laurel, Panabo City to 49 minutes from one hour and 44 minutes

Davao City’s P28-billion bypass project started tunnelling works on May 12, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

DPWH undersecretary and Build, Build, Build chief implementer Emil Sadain in a statement said simultaneous tunnelling at the north and south portals of the twin-tunnel Davao City Bypass Construction Project will result in speedy construction of the 2.3-kilometer, first-ever long-distance mountain tunnel in the Philippines.

The tunnelling work employs specialized equipment such as jumbo drill, concrete spraying machine and an articulated dump hauler to bore the tunnel, which has a 10-meter diameter.

With simultaneous tunnelling, joint-venture partners Shimizu Corp., Ulticon Builders Inc., and Takenaka Civil Engineering and Construction Co. Ltd. can ramp up their construction work to complete the project rapidly, Sadain said.

Designed by Japanese experts to have better seismic resiliency, the tunnel construction at the south portal’s southbound and northbound lanes started in November 2021 and March 2022, respectively.

The Davao City Bypass Construction Project will reduce traffic congestion in Davao City and cut travel time between Toril, Davao City and J.P. Laurel, Panabo City to 49 minutes, from one hour and 44 minutes.

The construction of the bypass road is also seen to improve transport logistics and ease congestion in the Davao City urban center to contribute to the economic and social development of Mindanao.

Photos on this page from JICA.

The entire bypass road, with a total length of 45.5 km, is divided into six packages: Package I-1 (10.7 km), Package I-2 (12.8 km), Package I-3 (6.1 km), Package II-1 (2.7 km), Package II-2 (3.5 km), and Package II-3 (9.7 km).

While the tunnel construction is the centerpiece of Contract Package I-1, the contract includes building a 7.9-km four-lane road, three pairs of bridges with a total length of 500 meters, two underpasses, two overpasses, a dozen box culverts (waterways), and four at-grade intersections.

The ongoing Contract Package I-1 costing P13.23 billion is financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The Philippines and JICA in 2015 signed a loan accord worth P9.27 billion (JPY23.9 billion) for the project. In 2020, they signed an agreement on supplemental financing of P18.5 billion (JPY35 billion).

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