Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark A. Villar and Embassy of China in the Philippines Economic and Commercial Counsellor Jin Yuan have officially signed the Minutes of Discussion (MOD) for the grant deal that would send a team of experts for the conduct of feasibility study for the proposed Davao City Expressway 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,” said Secretary Villar during the signing held Tuesday, September 5, 2017 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,” added Secretary Villar.
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.
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.
Under the proposed initial plan of DPWH, the Davao City Expressway will be implemented in three (3) 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 Brgy. Ma-a.
The second phase is also 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 Brgy. Panacan, traverses the existing alignment of the Davao City Diversion Road and ends at the Davao River Bridge in Brgy. Ma-a.
Phase 3 on the other hand which is proposed to start at the end point of Phase 1 and Phase 2 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.