Rep. Osmeña bares plan for 'freeway' link to southern Cebu
-A A +AFriday, October 12, 2012
CEBU CITY -- Representative Tomas Osmeña has bared a plan to expand the S. Osmena Road near Cebu City’s port area to an eight-lane road to provide a wider service route to the pier and serve as a “freeway” to southern parts of Cebu province.
Osmena (Cebu City, south district) said the project has an allocation of P150-million in the 2012 national budget and will be bidded out before the year ends.
S. Osmena Road, which was named after his father, the late senator Sergio “Serging” Osmena Jr., is a national road and its expansion will be undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Osmena said there are also plans to build two center road tunnels along the entire stretch of S. Osmena Road from the Mahiga Creek near the Cebu Ports Authority (CPA) building to the South Coastal Road tunnel near Plaza Independencia.
But separate funding for this still has to be identified, he said.
The tunnels will occupy two middle lanes of the planned eight-lane S. Osmena road, while the three outer lanes will be used as a freeway, Osmena said.
”The purpose of having the tunnel is to have non-stop traffic where vehicles don’t have to stop when you reach the intersections,” said Osmena who is vice chairman of the House committee on appropriations.
As proposed, the first road tunnel will be built at the intersection of S. Osmena Road and Juan Luna Street near Radisson Blu Hotel.
The second tunnel will be in a portion of S. Osmena Road near pier 4.
S. Osmena Road connects to the South Coastal Road that links Cebu City and Talisay City, where a 300-hectare reclamation project was undertaken during Osmena’s term as Cebu City mayor, now named the South Road Properties.
Linking the roads farther south would make travel to the outlying towns of Cebu’s 1st district faster and more accessible.
Earlier, Osmena said he diverted some P400 million intended for infrastructure projects in Cebu City’s south district to the expansion of the Cebu South Road, a project of Rep. Eduardo Gullas of Cebu’s 1st district.
About P1.25 billion is needed for the South Road expansion, of which Gullas said he only had P250 million available from his pork barrel. (PNA)
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