Friday, August 03, 2007 Dads seek 30 days on flyover study
CEBU City officials have asked Rep. Raul del Mar to give them 30 days to review the impact of the Banilad-Talamban flyover construction on the traffic situation in northern barangays.
City councilors also asked for more time to explore other ways of improving traffic and minimizing the congestion expected to come with the construction of the flyover.
Vice Mayor Michael Rama and the councilors met with Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday afternoon to thresh out concerns on the proposed flyover and to discuss the stand of the sectors that oppose it.
Among those discussed was the position paper of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) board, which asked for a long-term solution to the traffic problems in the area.
CCCI welcomed the flyover project but pushed for the revision of the flyover design.
City officials are worried that the construction of the flyover at the intersection of Foodland complex and A.S. Fortuna St. will be a nightmare for motorists and traffic managers since a major rerouting will have to be implemented.
In an interview yesterday, del Mar said he does not mind giving the council the 30 days they are asking for as this would not cause any delay in the implementation of the project.
Rama, however, would not guarantee that they will endorse the project after 30 days.
“Right now, what I can say is that we asked the congressman to give us 30 days so we can study everything because we don’t want to be perceived as having turned a deaf ear to the concerns of some sectors. We can proceed but it would seem that we did not pay attention to them,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.
After their study, the council plans to sit down with Osmeña and del Mar to come up with possible recommendations and alternative means of solving traffic woes in the Banilad and Talamban areas.
“We will discuss everything, all the results of our review and discussions with the residents but I would not say yet if we can come up with our official stand endorsing the project,” said Rama.
Under the Local Government Code, any project of the National Government should have the approval of the local government unit where it will be implemented.
Within 30 days, the council will meet with the homeowners’ associations of Ma. Luisa Estate Park and El Dorado subdivision to check if they will open certain portions of their subdivisions as access roads when traffic is rerouted.
A source at City Hall said del Mar was irked that the council held a public hearing on the flyover construction and that they still have not endorsed the project.
The source said “del Mar thinks the council is opposing the project but the council is only pointing out the need to discuss it further and explore other options.”
But del Mar quickly denied this, saying he does not get disappointed with anyone where his projects are concerned.
He said that despite the opposition to the flyover, the construction will push through once all bidding procedures are complied with.
“The bidding process will take more than 30 days that is why I said it’s perfectly okay if the council wants to be given time to review the impact of the construction. That is their prerogative, but I am not disappointed with them. I just asked when they held a public hearing, why didn’t they hold it on a Thursday so I can attend and answer all the issues raised against the flyover,” he said.
Study
Also yesterday, the CCCI relayed to the council their official stand on the flyover construction.
In a letter addressed to the council, CCCI President Francis Monera said they are not against the construction of the flyover, but that this is only a short-term solution to the traffic problems.
There is a need to examine closely other urgent and related issues for a “truly workable and sustainable solution,” he said.
CCCI recommended that alongside the construction, other projects like road widening and construction of parallel roads and bridges should also be explored as a long-term solution.
Using the various study results that were made by the City Traffic Operations Management and Dr. Primitivo Cal, the CCCI board agreed that there is a need to immediately address the severe traffic congestion in the area especially during peak hours, which the flyover can help solve.
Long-term
But the board pushed for a review and revision of the engineering designs of the project to provide for future expansion of the flyover to four lanes, or provisions for a two-level design in the future.
They also asked the council to update the Metro Cebu Land Use and Transport Study through a traffic summit, as well as the Comprehensive Cebu Infrastructure Masterplan.
Road widening and improvements of intersection layout; and the widening, improvement and rehabilitation of connecting and alternative roads and bridges should also be adopted to address the entire traffic system and avoid transferring congestion from one place to another.
“We, therefore, maintain that the short-term solution to the Banilad-Talamban traffic situation for which funds are now available, should be connected to long-term, manageable and sustainable solutions when implemented,” Monera’s letter read. (LCR)
