Osmena Blvd. expansion to start this year

THE expansion of S. Osmeña Blvd. into an eight-lane highway will start in the middle of this year, one of the two projects that will help cut travel time from Mandaue City to Talisay City by half.

Rep. Tomas Osmeña (Cebu City, south district) said the Department of Public Works and Highways will start the bidding process for the P150-million road widening project this month.

The project will include the acquisition of lots for the service road, removal of the center island and widening of both sides of the six-lane boulevard into eight lanes.

In a news conference yesterday, Osmeña said the road expansion is in preparation for the construction of a tunnel from the North Reclamation Area in Mandaue City to downtown Cebu City.

Tunnel

The tunnel component will cost the National Government another P1.5 billion, he said.

“Right now, we’ll bid out the road widening first, then we will evaluate the construction of the tunnel from Mandaue to downtown Cebu City,” the congressman told reporters yesterday.

“Hopefully, from boundary of Mandaue City to the boundary of Talisay City, it will take 20 minutes, or maybe 25 minutes, compared to 45 minutes,” Osmeña continued.

Marketability

He believes the road projects will increase the value and marketability of the South Road Properties (SRP).

The congressman is also working on the closure of the intersections at the Cebu South Coastal Road at the SRP, leaving only two U-turn slots on both ends of the highway—one under the bridge on the Talisay City side and another one under the viaduct in Cebu
City.

“So if you want to go to Kawit Island and you’re coming from Cebu City, you have to go all the way to the end, before the bridge, stay on the right and make a U-turn under the bridge. That will make traffic on the coastal road very fast and very smooth,” said Osmeña.

He said he will work on the road improvements at the SRP when he becomes city mayor again.