AT LEAST three sites are now being considered for the starting point in Davao City of the planned bridge going to the Island Garden City of Samal. Davao del Norte Gov. Anthony G. del Rosario, chair of the Davao Regional Development Council, said a feasibility study for the bridge is in progress. “The bridge that we are expecting to have here is going to be a very high one so that ships and boats (can) cross. The higher your bridge, the longer the ramp. In Samal there are lots of vacant lands so no problem with that, but the problem is here in Davao because there are a lot of business in the highway,” Mr. Del Rosario told BusinessWorld last week on the sidelines of a press conference. “Almost all (coastal) areas in Davao has container yards and that is why Diversion Road is the most logical (starting point) because you just add a ramp… Still the question is where to begin in Davao,” he added. Mr. Del Rosario also assured that the longstanding plan to build a bridge connecting mainland Mindanao and Samal, which is under the jurisdiction of Davao del Norte, will push through before the Duterte administration ends in 2022. He also said that the Chinese government has committed to finance the project. — Maya M. Padillo

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