PROPONENTS of the long-overdue Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project hope to launch and partially operate the mass transport system in the last quarter of 2023, with bids by five contractors already under evaluation for Package 1, and the winning bidder possibly known this week.

CBRT project manager Norvin Imbong shared the progress on the P16.3 billion project during the first Mobility Summit organized by the Cebu City Government Monday, Sept. 26, 2022.

Imbong said the bid documents submitted by five contractors for the civil works of the project’s Package 1 are still being evaluated by the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management.

Capitol to bus terminal

Package 1 covers the portion of Osmeña Blvd., from the Cebu Provincial Capitol and going right to the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) along N. Bacalso Ave.

According to Imbong, the project management team is targeting the last quarter of 2023 for the launching and partial operation of the BRT.

Full operation is set to happen in the second quarter of 2025.

The CBRT project was endorsed by the Cebu City Council way back in 2010 as a form of mass transportation that can be adopted in the city.

In 2014, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) approved the BRT project wherein a P10.6 billion loan agreement with the World Bank was also signed.

Neda then did a reevaluation of the project in 2017 which increased the cost to P16.3 billion.

Imbong said bidding for the civil works of Package 1 was conducted in 2021, but there was a declaration of a failure of bidding, prompting the management team to do a second round of bidding in May 2022.

Timeline

Based on their presented timeline, the notice of award is scheduled to be issued in September 2022, while the notice to proceed is expected to be awarded by October 2022.

While waiting for the civil works to commence, around 200 trees located in the center island of the route of Package 1 were already earthballed last June.

Packages 2 and 3

Imbong said for Packages 2 and 3, there is ongoing finalization of the detailed engineering design, which is expected to be finished by December.

Package 2 of the BRT is composed of the routes from the South Road Properties (SRP) to the CSBT and another route from Capitol to the Cebu IT Park in Barangay Lahug.

The entire length of the dedicated bus lane is 13.18 kilometers with another 22 kilometers of bus feeder system.

It will be composed of 17 stations, two terminals, and one service depot.

The CBRT is one of the proposed Metro Cebu Intermodal Integrated Transport Systems which also include the Light Rail Transit, Monorail system, and Aerial Ropeway Transit.

This was approved by the Regional Development Council in 2019.