Davao–Samal Bridge

The Samal Island–Davao City (SIDC) Connector, commonly known as the Davao–Samal Bridge, is a proposed bridge that will cross Pakiputan Strait to connect mainland Mindanao via Davao City and Samal, Davao del Norte in the Philippines. On January 14, 2021, the Philippine and Chinese governments signed a contract for the design and construction of the bridge which costs P23 billion pesos. On October 27, 2022, President Bongbong Marcos led the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the bridge.

Background
The 3.98-kilometer bridge, a flagship project under the “Build, Build, Build” program during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, will be hugely funded through a loan agreement with the Chinese government.

The bridge project will connect the Samal Circumferential Road in Caliclic, Samal to the R. Castillo–Daang Maharlika junction in Buhangin, Davao City across the Pakiputan Strait. The bridge, which is 3.98 kilometers long, will be constructed within five years and is set to be completed and operational in 2027. Once completed, it is expected to reduce travel time from Davao City to Samal from around 30 minutes via ferry to only five minutes. The construction of the bridge will be funded through a loan agreement worth US$350 million or ₱18.67 billion entered into between the Philippines and China, covering 90 percent of the project cost.

As of May, 2024, the Department of Public Works and Highways started the bridge's civil works phase. Its design includes a 275-meter main span and a 47-meter vertical navigation clearance. Environmentalists and right-of-way owners opposed the project especially on the current bridge alignment, landing site (Lucas-Rodriguez family property) and the offshore construction which could destroy the alleged healthy “Paradise Reef” on the Samal Island side. The 2020 environmental impact assessment of Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Ltd. classified the bridge an “environmentally critical project.”

The four-lane, cable-stayed bridge bridge will be finished by August 2027. “They are finished with the design and at 3.487 percent,” Department of Public Works and Highways-11 Director Juby Cordon said.