DPWH 7 hopes to beat deadline for road repair

THE DEPARTMENT of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 7 wants to finish the rehabilitation of the UN Ave. before the thanksgiving mass for the canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod in November.

Marie Mignon Nillama, public relations officer of DPWH 7, said the agency and its contractor hope to finish the project next month because thousands of pilgrims are expected to arrive in Cebu for the thanksgiving mass the Archdiocese of Cebu will organize on Nov. 30.

Calungsod will be canonized on Oct. 21.

Apology

Nillama apologized for the agency’s failure to coordinate with the Mandaue City Government when it closed part of the inner lane going to Lapu-Lapu City, even though the first lane remained closed for curing.

“We received an advice from the central office to speed up the project because many tourists are coming to Cebu for the canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod,” she said in a press conference yesterday.

The DPHW 7 is upgrading almost a kilometer of the UN Ave. starting from the foot of the Marcelo B. Fernan Bridge, which connects the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.

Under the contract, the P28.4-million rehabilitation project should be finished by February next year.

Nillama said heavy rains have interrupted their work.

Agreement

Before the project started, the City and the DPWH 7 agreed that the road will be rehabilitated one lane at a time.

Edwin Ermac, head of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue, said he was surprised when the DPWH 7 started working on another lane, even though the inner lane going to Mandaue City remains closed.

“Had they informed us earlier, we could have created a scheme that will ease the traffic congestion,” Ermac said in the press conference.

Nillama said the rehabilitated lane going to Mandaue City will be opened on Sept. 27.