PH, China ink deal on 23-km Davao City expressway

Under the DPWH’s proposed initial plan, the Davao City Expressway will be implemented in three phases. (Photo: Distinctively Davao/Facebook)

MANILA— A team of experts from the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) will be conducting feasibility study on the proposed Davao City Expressway Project.

This, after the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) represented by Secretary Mark Villar and Economic and Commercial Counsellor Jin Yuan of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines officially signed the Minutes of Discussion (MOD) for the grant deal that would send a team of experts that will conduct feasibility study on the project.

“We are happy to announce that we received another grant from the People’s Republic of China, this time to push through with the feasibility study of the 23.3-kilometer Davao City Expressway Project,” he said in a statement Wednesday.

The MOD signing was held on Tuesday at the DPWH Head Office in Port Area, Manila.

“The DPWH and Chinese Project Team will be working together for the prompt realization of a comprehensive feasibility study so that we may soon reap the thousand fold socio-economic benefits of this expressway,” Villar added.

The scope of the grant for the feasibility study will cover socioeconomic and economic analysis; environmental impact assessment; social impact assessment; engineering geological survey; topographical survey; evaluation of project site seismic safety; hydrological analysis; and the project feasibility study of the proposed expressway.

Under the DPWH’s proposed initial plan, the Davao City Expressway will be implemented in three phases.

Phase 1 is an elevated viaduct which has an estimated length of 8.45 km and starts at the intersection of Leon Garcia St. and Monteverde St. and at junction to Sta. Ana Port. It traverses along Quezon Blvd., passing through numerous intersections and then turning northwest before reaching the Bolton Bridge up to the upstream of the Davao River until it terminates at the existing Davao City Diversion Road near the Davao River Bridge in Barangay Ma-a.

Likewise, Phase 2 will be an elevated viaduct with an estimated length of 8.35 km which starts at the intersection of Daang Maharlika and Davao City Diversion Road in Barangay Panacan, traversing the existing alignment of the Davao City Diversion Road and ends at the Davao River Bridge in Barangay Ma-a.

On the other hand, Phase 3, will be a new road opening almost parallel to the existing diversion road and moves to west direction and then southwest direction until it terminates at the Davao City Diversion Road near Catalunan Grande Road.

The Phase 3 is proposed to start at the end point of Phase 1 and Phase 2.

When completed, the expressway is expected to decongest traffic in Davao City, ease access to Sta. Ana Port and other suburban areas, and complement proposed high-standard highway projects for Mindanao.