THE P23.4-billion Samal Island-Davao City Connector (SIDC) bridge project will be one of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s priorities in infrastructure programs during his term.
“Under the Mega Bridge Program, 12 bridges totaling 90 kilometers will be constructed, connecting islands and areas separated by waters. The program notably includes the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge and the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island bridges — each spanning 32 kilometers — and also the Samal Island-Davao City connector bridge,” Marcos said in his Sona speech at Batasang Pambansa.
In his State of the Nation’s Address (Sona) on July 24, Marcos said SIDC is included under the Mega Bridge Program aimed to connect islands and areas separated by waters.
It can be noted that the president together with other government officials, including former Davao City mayor and now Vice President Sara Duterte, led the lowering of the time capsule that signaled the start of construction of the bridge, which will connect the Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos) in Davao del Norte to Davao City.
The Mega Bridge Program includes inter-island bridge programs.
Marcos also said that as of June 2023, the administration had constructed, maintained, and upgraded more than 4,000 kilometers of roads and 500 bridges across the country.
“Our road network plans must link not only our three major islands (Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao) but all prospective sites of economic development,” Marcos said.
The president also said that they must retain the five to six percent allocation for the infrastructure sector, from the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
He also said that these road infrastructure projects are not only limited to securing network links between Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao but also to establishing connectivity in the country's prospective economic sites for cost-effectiveness.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary previously said the construction of the SIDC project, also known as the Samal-Davao Bridge will be started "hopefully before the year ends”.
However, they need to overcome some legal issues before the project begins.
“Before the year ends, we are hoping that we can actually start the initial construction [of Samal-Davao bridge],” DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said in an interview with the media on July 1.
Bonoan said as for the Davao side, “it appears that they are cleared” to begin building the project.
“We are now in the process of finalizing the detailed engineering design (DED) in a few months actually... we have already had the contractor on board and they have now submitted the design,” Bonoan said. (ICE with reports from PNA)