The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is collaborating with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on the construction of a significant bypass road to mitigate traffic congestion in Davao City and improve connectivity in Mindanao through the construction of a bypass road.
The JICA-supported Davao City Bypass Construction Project involves the construction of a 29.7km, 4-lane road including bridges and two 2.3km tunnels, the first long distance mountain tunnel in the Philippines.
In parallel, the Philippine government is constructing the 15.8km portion of the said bypass road. The Davao City Bypass Road total 45.5km long.
The ceremonial breakthrough of the Northbound Tunnel was held on April 28, 2025 in Barangay Waan, Davao City after the completion of the excavation from opposite ends into a single tunnel.
The New Austrian Tunneling (NATM) method was applied for the excavation and plenty of Japanese technologies, know-how, and experience were utilized. Also, technology transfer from Japanese to the local staff was carried out, contributing to the local workers’ capacity development.
“Not only does this project build roads and tunnels, but it also develops capacity on tunnel operations and maintenance using Japan experience and expertise,” JICA chief representative Baba Takashi during the ceremony said.
“The optimal combination of hard and soft support is what I proudly call JICA’s value addition contributing to comprehensive development and to achieve ‘Safe, Reliable and Comfortable Transport for a Better Tomorrow,” he said.
According to Tom Traffic Index 2024, Davao City ranked as the most congested metropolitan area in the Philippines.
Completion of Davao City Bypass Construction Project will be the game changer of the development of future Davao and Mindanao.
The travel time from Maharlika Highway’s Davao-Digos and Davao-Tagum sections take around 1 hour and 44 minutes, but after the completion of the project, travel time is expected to be reduced to just 49 minutes.
