Saturday, December 23, 2006 Council extends road closure
THE Cebu City Council extended to March the closure of a portion of Sergio Osmeña Ave. as construction of the proposed subway section of the Cebu South Coastal Road is not finished yet.
Kajima Corporation asked for an extension up to June, but the council just set it until March. If needed, however, the council is expected to grant another extension.
Kajima still has to do piling jobs, and more works in the retaining wall and widening of the road.
Rerouting
The council last August authorized the closure of a portion of Sergio Osmeña Ave., between Legazpi and Gullas Sts., from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, 2006.
It also approved a traffic-rerouting scheme for the contractor to do its works unhampered.
Kajima, contractor of the third segment of the coastal road, asked for the road’s closure following the advice of project consultant Katahira and Engineers International.
The subway or segment 3B2 is one of the components of the viaduct section of the multi-billion-peso road project. It will go under the Plaza Independencia and end on McArthur Blvd., now Sergio Osmeña Ave.
Schedule
It is approximately 0.97 kilometers long, and consists of a 610-meter twin box tunnel and a 360-meter reinforced concrete retaining structure. Its completion was initially expected in 2008.
The facility is meant to ease traffic in Cebu City.
Last Wednesday, councilors also approved extending the closure of a portion of the road one more block up to Palma St. “in order for the contractor to work in the retaining wall and widening of Sergio Osmeña Blvd.”
The council likewise agreed to divert southbound vehicles passing through the South Coastal Road to M.C. Briones and Jakosalem Sts. in going towards the viaduct area and to the South Road Properties before exiting to Talisay City.
Kajima’s request had the City Traffic Operations Management’s concurrence. (RHM)
