Thursday, October 09, 2008 Flyover to open in 4 weeks
THE Banilad flyover will be open to motorists in time for the All Saints’ Day traffic, said the Cebu City Council ad hoc committee created to monitor the project.
The side roads, though, will be ready for use by Nov. 26 yet, said City Councilor Hilario Davide II, committee chairman.
In a report during the council’s regular session yesterday, he said that according to information he received last Tuesday, the flyover is now in its “curing period” and may be opened to vehicular traffic by Nov. 1.
The curing period is needed for the concrete to achieve its maximum strength before the structure is used.
Asked by City Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem if that means the flyover could not be used yet on All Souls’ Day, Davide said that WTG Construction and Development Corp. project engineer Christopher Semilla told him the structure will be ready before then.
“Work on the side roads, which includes the drainage system and concrete sidewalk, continues and is expected to be finished by Nov. 26, 2008. The committee, of course, hopes that the contractor will make good its commitment to accomplish what it promised to accomplish before Nov. 29, 2008,” Davide said.
As suggested by Vice Mayor Michael Rama, the committee met with representatives of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH); the WTG; the Metro Cebu Water District; the public utilities, particularly the Visayan Electric Company; and concerned lot owners, last Sept. 24.
They discussed the removal and relocation of utility poles after WTG complained that the presence of posts delayed the construction.
Davide said that during the meeting, the utility companies promised to transfer their cables “within the next two weeks.”
300 days to do it
Veco spokesperson Ethel Natera earlier said they must coordinate with the telecommunication companies that are also using their electricity poles for their cables.
“The concerned lot owners, on the other hand, expressed their willingness to cooperate so long as the utility poles are properly relocated and do not cause inconvenience when they enter their properties,” Davide said.
The MCWD representative, on the other hand, promised that their underground work will be finished by Nov. 29.
When construction started last February, the project was projected to be finished by July, though the contracted period is 300 days, or until November this year.
However, delays, particularly in the purchase of critical lots, caused the target date of completion to be reset to the original schedule. (RHM)
