Davao City Bypass Road


Davao City Bypass Road is a 45.5-kilometer bypass road project–from Barangay Sirawan in Toril, Davao City to Barangay J.P. Laurel in Panabo City, Philippines. It aims to cut the travel time through both cities from 1 hour and 44 minutes to 49 minutes. Its objective is to improve the transport logistics and mitigate congestion in Davao City, thereby contributing to economic and social development in Mindanao.
It had an estimated total cost of, which was updated to ₱70.8 billion. The construction supervision of the project is headed by a joint venture of Nippon Koei Co., Ltd., Katahira and Engineers International, Nippon Engineering Consultants Co., Ltd. in association with the Philkoei International, Inc.

History

In 2015, the Japan International Cooperation Agency signed Japanese ODA loan agreements with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines under the second Aquino administration to provide loans of up to a total of for Metro Manila Priority Bridges Seismic Improvement Project and Davao City Bypass Construction Project.
Actual work on the project began in 2017, under the Duterte administration.
On June 16, 2020, the Philippines and Japan signed the loan agreement for the supplemental financing of for the project.
On November 19, 2021, DPWH Secretary Roger Mercado and Japanese Ambassador Kazuhiko Koshikawa led in witnessing the start of tunnel boring activity for the twin tunnels of the project. It is slated as the country's first long-distance mountain tunnel.
In 2024, a supplemental loan of ₱14 billion was approved by the National Economic and Development Authority Board headed by the Marcos Jr. administration. This sums up the total amount of project to ₱70.8 billion.
In 2025, the mountain tunnel component was finished with the Davao City Bypass Tunnel becoming the longest road tunnel in the Philippines. The tunnel for northbound traffic was fully excavacated by March 14, 2025 and had its breakthrough ceremony on April 28, 2025.

Project phases and progress

The whole project will be divided into two phases with each divided into sub-phases. These are subject to revisions and changes as the project is still being implemented.
Phase I
  • I-1 four -lane highway inclusive of 2.3 kilometer twin road tunnel.
  • I-2 four -lane highway has its contract agreement for the civil works underway.
  • I-3 four -lane road with one bridge, two cut and cover tunnels, twelve culverts, and one overpass.
Phase II