MOTORISTS were stuck for hours in barely moving traffic yesterday, the first day of the dry run and inspection for the widening of Talomo Bridge 2 along Davao-Cotabato road by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The project calls for the closure of Talomo Bridge 1 during construction. The dry run is from Wednesday, June 20, until Friday, June 22, 2018.
Even those who anticipated traffic build-up miscalculated the lead time they gave.
Holy Cross of Davao College teacher and former television news anchor DerfMaiz described his travails on his Facebook post.
"I left Deca Mintal a little bit early than the usual. 5:45am. Para makaabotsa school around 6:45 (an hour). Peroooooooooo... 6:43 na, Ulas pa mi, ladies and gentlemen!" he wrote.
Exasperation was the prevailing sentiment with PUJ drivers serving the southern areas saying they might just opt not to drive.
Official statements
DPWH Davao region information officer Dean I. Ortiz, who had earlier announced the closure of Talomo Bridge for the dry run, said there is no definite date yet as to when the widening works will commence. They are just preparing for it.
CTTMO chief Dionisio Abude, said in an interview that that they have already crafted a traffic scheme to ensure the smooth flow of the traffic. Outbound vehicles from downtown heading south were to use the Talomo-Puan Bypass Road while for the inbound vehicles from Ulas to downtown were to take the Talomo Bridge 2.
But motorists were not prepared for this despite earlier announcements and signages set up.
Abude said that there were 37 traffic enforcers deployed in the area to ensure the smooth flow of traffic.
The activity was expectedly triggered countless complaints however, Abude asked for their understanding, citing that this is just temporary and is only aimed to further give the public better road in the future.
"I am no longer surprised with the complaints. I will even be surprised if there were no complaints. Their complaints are valid but we should also look why there is traffic in preparation for the widening of the bridge," he said.
One of the challenges they encountered during the dry run was the stubborn drivers who took it as a race to be ahead which triggered the bottleneck in the Talomo Bridge 2 so to prevent this, they put barriers from corner Ulas going to bridge.
He also cited that lack of discipline of the drivers that is one of the factors of the heavy traffic.
Complaints
Datts taxi driver Terencio Gumobao, a resident of Barangay Mintal in Tugbok, said the traffic congestion will affect them as they will be stuck and will not be able to serve the regular number of passengers. But with the P2 per minute rate, passengers might not ride taxis for the duration.
"Bisan pa naa mi waiting time nagapatak, kaon kaayo sa gasolina ang sobra ka trapik sa dalan unya di ka dali makapamasahero. Mas gustohun pa nako unya na alas-diyes sa gabii muuli ug sa downtown nalang mamasahero usa," Gumobao said.
(Even if there is a charge for the waiting time, being stuck in traffic is a waste of gasoline and it is not easy to find passengers. I would rather go out at 10 p.m. and stay in the downtown area in the meantime.)
Multicab driver Bong Tutor, a resident of Bangkal, said the congestion is a major inconvenience. Southern residents will be late for work and school throughout.
"Grabe jud ang traffic ron adlawa. Daghan late apil na ako bana ug mga anak. Imagine ang traffic dili lang 30 minutes, as in oras gyud. Maayo na lang kay ang mga taga-Davao taas pud pasensiya sa mga adjustments," said Rena June Baldoza-Opsimar, a businesswoman, from Catalunan Pequeño.
(Traffic was really bad today. A lot of people were late, including my husband and kids. The traffic jam lasted for hours. It’s a good thing that Davao residents are patient.)
Mindanao Times news reporter Rhoda Grace Saron, who hails from Toril District, said the people will just have to adjust their time and extend their patience since this is all for the good of the city. The Talomo Bridge 1 will decongest traffic in the south, but some sacrifices have to be made in the meantime.