Davao-Samal bridge work resumes
DAVAO CITY — A work resumption order for the stalled Samal Island-Davao City (SIDC) Connector Project has been issued by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), a regional official of the department revealed in a media forum on Monday.
Speaking at the Kapehan sa Dabaw, DPWH Region 11 Spokesman Dean I. Ortiz said the order was issued last Feb. 1, following the approval of the Detailed Engineering Design (DED) plans for land viaduct foundation and the resolution of the inaccessibility issue, relative to the geotechnical investigation, brought about by right-of-way (ROW) acquisition for Davao City and Samal Island sides.
“For the SIDC project, it’s a go,” said Mr. Ortiz. “We’re just waiting… counting three months for us to start the civil works phase. But within those three months that we will be waiting, the contractor will start deploying the equipment and manpower.”
“If you remember, the DED phase was suspended because of the ROW issue, because there are some portions where we cannot conduct soil explorations because we have not entered the property yet,” he said partly in Visayan.
The DPWH reported that the DED plans for the substructure of the Land Viaduct sections of the bridge, were duly approved by Undersecretary Ador G. Canlas and already transmitted by the Bureau of Design (BOD) to the Unified Project Management Office-Bridges Management Cluster (UPMO-BMC) last December.
Mr. Ortiz cited a DPWH report indicating that all 10 lots on the Samal Island side and four lots on the Davao City side of the SIDC Connector Project under expropriation were already turned over to DPWH in compliance with the issued Writ of Possessions by the concerned Regional Trial Courts (RTCs).
He said the check payments for five out of 55 lots in Davao City side under negotiated sale were already released, while the remaining are already under process for release in the department. “Under negotiated sale meaning they [the parties] are okay,” he explained.
Also, the DPWH 11 official said 104 out of 106 boreholes in total for the Davao City side, offshore, and Samal Island side for the design of the bridge structures have already been completed. — Maya M. Padillo