AS A measure to ease traffic between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m., the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCT0) is temporarily opening the southbound side road of a depressed portion of N. Bacalso Ave. for northbound vehicles.

This would mean that both side roads of the underpass project will be made exclusive for northbound vehicles within the two-hour window.

But from 8 a.m. onward, traffic flow on both side roads will return to its original direction.

CCTO Operations Chief Francisco Ouano said they came up with the temporary solution since the side roads, which opened last Sunday, Nov. 25, are still on experiment.

On the first day, traffic congestion was so bad because passengers did not know where to take a ride, Ouano said.

Sixteen CCTO enforcers were also deployed to the area to direct traffic.

In a separate interview, Councilor Dave Tumulak, head of the committee on public order and safety, said that since the morning rush between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. are considered “crucial” hours, it was important to decongest northbound traffic.

“Since I am from the south district, I’m more knowledgeable. I suggested (the temporary morning traffic scheme) and we implemented it right away. It seems that the volume of northbound traffic in the early morning is heavier compared to the southbound traffic. I estimated that around 75 percent of the vehicles are northbound, while only 25 percent are going to the south,” Ouano said.

The underpass project, which started in August 2017, is now 81 percent complete. The target completion date is on May 28, 2019.

The contractor is now working on phases 5 and 6, which will cover the excavation, drainage lines, boring and concreting of the lanes on both sides. (RTF)