Take ferry during repair of bridges, Oponganons urged

AS REPAIRS on the first Mandaue-Mactan Bridge start tomorrow, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza urged her constituents to take the ferry in going to Cebu City.

Radaza said she has instructed the police to secure the port in Muelle Osmeña as work on the two bridges is expected to increase the number of ferry passengers.

“Like what we did during Sinulog, we will put up assistance desks to anticipate the influx of passengers who will take the ferry to Cebu City,” she said in a recent press briefing.

Traffic monitoring

The mayor said she has also instructed the City Traffic Management System to closely monitor the traffic going to the bridge.

In Mandaue City, Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue head Edwin Ermac said no re-routing scheme will be implemented, but he advised motorists to follow traffic signs to ensure smooth traffic flow.

The Mandaue-bound lane will be closed starting tomorrow as workers start to remove and replace the asphalt pavements of the first bridge.

The Mactan Cebu Bridge Management Board earlier approved the proposal of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 7 to repair the two bridges connecting the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.

Repairs on the Marcelo B. Fernan Bridge will start after the laying of asphalt on the first bridge, which will take less than a month if the weather cooperates.

Radaza urged Lapu-Lapu residents to plan their schedules ahead to avoid traffic congestion on the bridge.

“We will assign more personnel to supervise the traffic on the bridges during the repair. We are also coordinating with Mandaue City,” she said.

Allocation

The first day of repair was scheduled on a school holiday to avoid causing traffic.

President Benigno Aquino III declared Feb. 25 a school holiday to commemorate the 26th anniversary celebration of the Edsa People Power Revolution of 1986.

The DPWH 7 allocated P18 million to replace the asphalt and corroded bars and steel trusses of the first bridge.

Some P27 million was set aside for the repair of the asphalt pavement and two expansion joints of the Marcelo B. Fernan Bridge.

PLD Construction, the contractor, is given 90 days to complete the repairs for each bridge.