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Thursday, May 18, 2006
City workers adjust to schedule
By Danilo V. Adorador III
CITY Hall employees Wednesday experienced their first night at work, in lieu of the imposed adjusted working hours prompted by the Ysalina bridge closure that hindered traffic movements.
Pedestrians may start using the bridge today while vehicle traffic will partly resume on June 4, Acting City Mayor Michelle Spiers said, in an agreement reached Wednesday between city officials and the contractor doing the retrofitting works.
She said the contractor also agreed to finish all repair works on June 15, or eight days before the target completion on June 23.
The Ysalina bridge, one of the two main bridges connecting the city's east and west sections, was shut even to pedestrians prompting commuters to opt for boat rides instead.
In an order signed by Spiers Tuesday, office hours were reset at 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., instead of the usual 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A call to the city's main trunk line confirmed that telephones in all departments remained in use as of 5:45 p.m.
The new working hours schedule will last for one-week, though Spiers instructed all department heads to submit reports whether an extension will be required.
Public furor erupted as soon as the bridge was closed last week, as residents complained of heavy traffic, while businessmen said the snail pace of vehicle traffic brought them financial losses. Spiers called for understanding on the situation.
While she called for the quick restoration of normal traffic at the bridge, she said the repair should not be done in a hasty manner so as not to compromise the bridge's structure.
If the contractor fails to meet the expected deadline of the repair works, Councilor Simeon Licayan said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) should demand appropriate compensation from the private firm.
"I believe the contract between DPWH and the private contractor provides for mechanisms in which the government can renumeration, in the form of daily liquidated damages. This is a step that should be resorted to," he said.
Other public officials offered more stern suggestions.
Roads and Traffic Administration chief Ramon Tabor said the city should file multi-million damages against the contractor, saying any delay in the repair would worsen traffic conditions and bring untold losses to the city.
The City Council agreed Monday to summon the contractor next week.
(May 18, 2006 issue)
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