LOOK: Work on 2.3-km Davao City Bypass Twin Tunnel going well

Last year, the Department of Public Works & Highways (DPWH) officially commenced work on the 2.3-km Davao City Bypass Tunnel. The two-tube mountain tunnel project forms part of the 10.7-km four-lane highway under the contract package 1-1 of the Davao City Bypass Road and will serve as a major thoroughfare for vehicles going in and out of Davao City.

Fast forward to Q4 2023, work on the said project is progressing at a fast rate. Recently, the Davao City Planning and Development Office inspected the progress of the 2.3-km Mountain Tunnels. Based on the photos the DCPDO took, work on the said tunnels is already past the halfway mark. In fact, during an inspection last June 15, 2023, the DPWH has already completed about 1.3 km of tunnel civil works – surpassing the halfway point.

Work on both the southbound and northbound directions involves tunnel excavation, shotcrete works for the excavation face, installation of steel ribs, wire mesh & final shotcrete, drilling, and installation of rock bolts.

Aside from working on the twin-tube tunnels, contract package 1-1 will also see the DPWH construct a 7.9-km four-lane portland road with a total length of 7.90 kilometers, three pairs of bridges with a total length of 500 linear meters, two underpasses, two overpasses, twelve box culverts, and four at-grade road crossings.

Once completed, the twin tunnel system will serve a major part of the 45.5-km Davao City Bypass Road project. More importantly, the road project is believed to cut the current 1 hour 49-minute travel time going from Toril, Davao City to JP Laurel, Panabo City to just 49 minutes.