After being given the green light for the Samal Island-Davao City Connector Bridge project in July 2022, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is now conducting a land survey, as well as a geotechnical investigation of the said project’s construction area.
The finished project will look something like this
For the geotechnical investigation in particular, a borehole machine is currently being used. In fact, two boreholes are already being dug under the supervision of Project Manager Joweto V. Tulaylay and Project Engineer John Christian T. Gaden.
DPWH Senior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain, Assistant Secretary Constante A. Llanes Jr., and Project Director Rodrigo I. Delos Reyes of the Unified Project Management Office – Bridges Management Cluster were also present to inspect the procedure.
Those are just the first of many boreholes for the said project, with a total of 97 boreholes scheduled to be dug. These consist of 16 on the shores of Samal Island itself, 63 on the Davao side, and 18 offshore boreholes.
In support of this massive undertaking, Sadain says that the construction of the bridge following its “final alignment” will have the utmost positive effects for the region’s denizens.
He also added that the current design and configuration is currently the most beneficial. It has the least environmental impact, it is the easiest to implement from a technical standpoint, and it is financially the most economical as well.
The borehole machine doing its thing
The current bridge design was chosen from a number of other proposals. The final one that the government is following was selected via a comprehensive study performed by experts.
On top of that, the project also has an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Environmental Management Bureau. The local governments of the Island Garden City of Samal and Davao City are also supportive of the said bridge project.
Once finished, the Samal Island-Davao Connector bridge will be 3.98 kilometers long, consisting of four lanes. The structure crosses over the Pakiputan Strait and has a vertical clearance of up to 47 meters. It is envisioned to provide better access to and from the island of Samal, thus boosting tourism.
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