2 mishaps on bridge stall traffic

A TRUCK carrying 10 tons of coconut lumber got stalled on the Marcelo B. Fernan Bridge yesterday noon, causing heavy traffic on the bridge.

Less than two hours earlier, a Honda Civic hatchback and an armored van figured in an accident at the foot of the Mactan-Cebu Bridge, causing traffic congestion for two hours.

No one was injured in both incidents.

The truck (GHA 858) was going to Lapu-Lapu City when its machine conked out near the middle of the bridge.

When the truck began to move backward, Noel Ulbinario, 22, the driver, maneuvered it sideways and allowed the rear to hit the railing to avoid hitting other vehicles.

Several pieces of lumber fell off the truck.

Traffic management

Personnel from the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue managed the traffic on the bridge, while the pieces of lumber were transferred to another truck.

Ulbinario, an employee of Cebu City-based Ondo Trucking Company, said he was going to deliver the lumber, which came from Mindanao, to a hardware in Barangay Babag, Lapu-Lapu City.

At 10:30 a.m., a Honda Civic hatchback hit an Isuzu armored van as they approached the Mactan-Cebu Bridge going to Lapu-Lapu City.

According to the police, the car (YVP 405) was on the outer lane of the A.C. Cortes St, while the armored van (XEU 980) was on the inner lane.

As they approached the bridge, the Honda Civic swerved to the left to get on the bridge first, but it hit the armored van instead.

Damage

The front side of the car, driven by Abraham Duarte, 32, a resident of Barangay Pusok, Lapu-Lapu City, was damaged.

The armored van, driven by Alan Roy Bulandre, 47, a resident of Plaridel St., Mandaue City, was not damaged.

The accident caused massive traffic congestion for two hours.

Traffic on UN Ave., which leads to the Marcelo B. Fernan Bridge, has been heavy for the past five weeks because of a road rehabilitation project.

The Department of Public Works and Highways 7, which aims to finish the project by November, is rehabilitating almost a kilometer of UN Ave. by closing two lanes at a time.

The Mactan-Cebu Bridge has also seen heavy traffic for the past weeks, with motorists opting to take the old bridge to avoid traffic on Marcelo B. Fernan Bridge.