Tuesday, August 12, 2008 Tunnel works prompts change in traffic routes
STARTING this Thursday, all vehicles from the south will use a diversion road as egress from the South Road Properties (SRP) instead of going straight to M.J. Cuenco Ave. in Cebu City.
The change is due to the ongoing work on the tunnel section of the South Coastal Road so that construction would not be disrupted.
Supt. Jonathan Abella, Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Traffic Group chief, said all vehicles will instead proceed to the junction of Lapulapu St. and M.C. Briones St. before turning right to M.J. Cuenco Ave.
Those coming from the north, particularly those from the Plaza Indepen-dencia area, will follow the usual route to the SRP by using M.J. Cuenco, right for M.C. Briones, and left for D. Jakosalem.
Those vehicles traversing M.J. Cuenco also have the option to turn right to Legaspi or Magallanes Sts., left to P. Burgos St., and then right to M.C. Briones.
Diversion
Abella said vehicles going to and from the Fort San Pedro, Aduana post office and Malacañang sa Sugbo “shall use a newly opened diversion road at the Plaza Independencia.
The change will remain in effect until the completion of the tunnel, whose contract expiry date is June 26, 2008.
In another part of the city, the City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) started yesterday the rerouting of vehicles going to the Guadalupe church area.
SPO4 Ricardo Hapi-tan, CCPO traffic group operations PNCO, told Sun.Star Cebu that aside from complaints from motorists and commuters, there was confusion, which is normal during the first day of implementation of any experimental traffic scheme.
The experimentation was meant to reduce the number of vehicles using V. Rama Ave. going to the church area from the M. Velez St. intersection.
Those coming from the Capitol area traversing M. Velez St. were told to turn right for Andres Abellana St., left to L. Bacayo, then to V. Rama.
Traverses
Those coming from N. Bacalso Ave. and traversing V. Rama for Guadalupe turned right for M. Velez, left for either E. Osmeña St. or Andres Abellana, left to L. Bacayo, then to V. Rama.
Those from Banawa passing through Duterte St. for Guadalupe traveled across to M. Velez and congregated with other vehicles going to either E. Osmeña or Andres Abellana.
The stretch from the L. Bacayo junction to the M. Velez intersection was open only to one-way traffic from the Guadalupe area.
The change was made because of the growing number of vehicles converging in V. Rama, resulting to traffic gridlock.
But it is only implemented during the morning rush hour, or from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Hapitan said that after an hour, traffic volume normalized. He expected the situation to improve today.
“Ang mausab karon kay imbis two-way ang E. Osmeña, one-way na lang, going up (to the church area),” he said. (RHM)
