Monday, September 24, 2007 Councilors seek ways to prevent hassles in infra work
THE Cebu City Council is meeting officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) for better coordination in the construction of buildings and infrastructure projects.
This way, planners are able to anticipate and prevent disruptions, if not eliminate inconvenience, when civil works start.
City Councilor Rodrigo Abellanosa requested for the meeting after legislators wondered in last week’s council session whether or not the Escario Ext. widening would not encroach into Parklane Hotel.
Abellanosa was assured that the hotel was built with the widening in mind so there is ample space for the road project to proceed without affecting the hotel’s structure.
What triggered it
He proposed that for future projects, both the DPWH and the CPDO would be in constant communication to achieve a similar result.
Abellanosa said that in implementing nationally-funded projects, the DPWH should coordinate with the City to determine the ideal width of city roads as a guide, so that the City could act accordingly when there are requests for construction.
He asked that Vice Mayor Michael Rama, City Council presiding officer, and the councilors meet with CPDO Chief Paul Villarete and officials from DPWH’s regional and Cebu City offices in an executive session.
The request was made when DPWH-Cebu City Engineer Nicomedes Villamor appeared before the council Wednesday last week to explain why Escario Ext. was only cemented instead of being widened, which his office said it would do.
During the discussion, Leonor said the stretch from the J. Solon St. corner to Archbishop Reyes Ave. was not yet cemented because of Young Builders Corp.’s request for DPWH to allow it to first reinforce its excavation for a new hotel across Parklane.
Young Builders feared that if the contractor would proceed with its work on the road, vibrations from heavy equipment would trigger a slide that would cause the road to collapse.
Leonor also promised to do something about the gaps between the cemented road and the ground in the Escario Ext.’s intersections with other roads.
“It seemed you don’t know what to do. Before any accident (would happen), please do something,” Rama said.
The DPWH still needs P37.25 million for road right-of-way purchases, P6.95 million for miscellaneous improvements, and P15 million for road improvements to finish the concreting and widening of Escario Ext.
Leonor, though, could not say when DPWH central office would make the funds available because the P59 million still has to be included in the department’s 2008 budget. (RHM)
