THE Samal Island–Davao City Connector (SIDC) Bridge has reached 41 percent completion, marking major progress in one of the country’s most ambitious inter-island infrastructure projects, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced.
DPWH Senior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain, who oversees flagship projects funded through Official Development Assistance (ODA), confirmed the milestone following a site inspection on August 22, 2025. The team included officials from the Unified Project Management Office (UPMO), contractor China Road and Bridge Corporation, and consultant Pertconsult International.
The 4.76-kilometer, four-lane bridge will span the Pakiputan Strait, linking R. Castillo–Daang Maharlika Junction in Davao City to the Circumferential Road in Samal Island. Once operational, travel time between the two cities will drop from 55 minutes via ferry to just 4.5 minutes. The bridge is expected to handle up to 25,000 vehicles daily, boosting tourism, trade, and regional mobility.
Construction is progressing on multiple fronts. Seven high pier columns for the land viaducts on both the Davao and Samal sides are complete, marking a major step in vertical construction. Foundation works for the 275-meter extradosed main navigation bridge are also underway.
On the Samal side, the steel caisson cofferdam for the navigation pile cap has been lowered and is being prepared for concrete sealing. Meanwhile, the Davao side has finished the seal concrete bottom slab, with preparations ongoing for the caisson’s lowering after quality inspections.
The P20.8-billion project, which broke ground in October 2022 and began full-scale civil works in May 2024, is financed primarily through Chinese ODA. The DPWH, via its UPMO–Bridges Management Cluster, aims to complete the bridge by 2028 under the Marcos administration’s “Build Better More” program.
Sadain emphasized that the SIDC Bridge is part of a broader push to improve regional connectivity. “Several bridge connectivity projects under the Build Better More program have already been completed, and many more are underway to link key growth areas, spur commerce, and enhance mobility across the country,” he said.
Recent achievements include the 3.17-kilometer Panguil Bay Bridge, Northern Mindanao’s longest sea-crossing bridge, inaugurated in September 2024, and the 541-meter Nalil–Sikkiat Bridge in Tawi-Tawi, connecting Bongao Island to the provincial mainland.
Other key inter-island projects nearing completion under the Improving Growth Corridors in Mindanao Road Sector Project include the Guicam Bridge in Zamboanga Sibugay and two major bridges in Tawi-Tawi Province.
The DPWH is also preparing civil works for several legacy projects, including the 32.15-kilometer Bataan–Cavite Interlink Bridge, the 33.09-kilometer Panay–Guimaras–Negros Island Bridges, the 2.61-kilometer Second San Juanico Bridge, and the Cebu–Mactan 4th Bridge with Mandaue Coastal Road, spanning over 8 kilometers. DEF