Contrary to an earlier report, the Bucana Bridge Project will adhere to its original completion date of 2025, according to newly-appointed Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) secretary Leo Tereso Magno.
This clarification came in response to a SunStar Davao article published on May 30, which stated that the Bridge Project, initially scheduled to open in November 2025, had been delayed to 2026 due to budget constraints.
Magno clarified that, based on information from Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Emil Sadain, the project is “currently at 20 percent completion.”
“The Bucana Bridge project, which is part of the Davao River Bridge Project, has a target construction period of 18 months. Having commenced in the second quarter of 2024, the project is on track for completion by the end of 2025,” the MinDA chair said.
He added, “Construction will proceed without interruption as the project is funded through a grant from China Eximbank.”
DPWH-Davao Region spokesperson Dean Ortiz also clarified a statement made by its regional director Juby Cordon, explaining that the budget referenced was for the Davao City Coastal Bypass Road Project, a vital component for the bridge's completion.
“An additional P2.66 [billion] has been included in the proposed 2025 regional budget [...] which is the remaining funding requirement for the completion of the Davao City Coastal Bypass Road Project,” Ortiz told SunStar Davao in an online message.
He noted that the Coastal Bypass Road Project is 75.22 percent complete based on the total project cost, including Bucana Bridge, and 90.53 percent complete based on the total project cost excluding Bucana Bridge.
The P3.126 billion project, overseen by the Unified Project Management Office (UPMO), is a major component of the ongoing Coastal Road project.
Ortiz also indicated that the project is progressing well and is on schedule for completion by the end of 2025, with 20.815 percent of the work completed as of May 25, 2024. RGL