Wednesday, September 05, 2007 DPWH opens Escario Ext. to traffic
AFTER doing civil works on Escario Ext. for months, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Cebu City has opened the road to motorists last week.
The road, though, has not been widened.
Only one lane is open at this time but DPWH Cebu City Director Nicomedes Leonor said the other lane will be ready for use by Sept. 14.
Vice Mayor Michael Rama said he will inspect the road that DPWH officials said they will widen but did not.
He said DPWH still has to explain to the City Council why the road was not widened when the agency said it will do so when it sought the council’s approval to close a portion of the road.
In a phone interview yesterday, Leonor said there is no budget for the purchase of 16 more lots for the road right-of-way (RROW).
“The project was not fully funded. We still need funds for the road right-of-way because 16 lot owners have not been paid yet,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.
Although both lanes would be available by Sept. 14, Leonor said they will eventually have to close one side again to finish the concreting project.
They are just waiting for Young Builders Corp. to finish reinforcing the protective walling of its excavation for a hotel across the Parklane Hotel at the corner of Escario Extension and J. Solon St.
Last Aug. 15, Leonor told the City Traffic Operations that the DPWH does not have any budget this year for further RROW purchases.
The project cost is around P40 million, which includes the purchase of roadside lots that will be affected by the widening.
What DPWH did was scrape-off the well-paved road’s asphalt, replacing it with cement.
Rama has criticized the construction and asked why there is no sidewalk.
He said that although Leonor already explained before the Citom board, he still has to explain the matter to the council. (RHM)
