THE Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) will temporarily close this Friday afternoon some streets in downtown area leading to Osmeña Blvd. for the launching procession of the Sinulog festival.
CCTO Operations Chief Francisco Ouano said the affected roads will be closed from 1 p.m. until the activity ends around 4 p.m.
“We will close some roads, but there won’t be any major rerouting of vehicular traffic as the activity will be short. I think it will probably finish in three hours,” he told reporters in a phone interview yesterday.
The parade will start from the main entrance of the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño and will conclude at the Cebu City Sports Center.
Gradual closure
Ouano explained that the road closure in the downtown area will be done gradually and will re-open again right after the procession passes through.
However, a part of the Osmeña Blvd., particularly along the Cebu Normal University, will be closed for the entire duration of the activity.
For added measures, the CCTO said about a hundred personnel will be stationed along the parade route to man the vehicular traffic.
Aside from this, the traffic office will field some 80 additional personnel to man areas outside the parade route for added security.
Ouano also asked the public to cooperate and avoid the downtown area and Osmeña Blvd. as the activity will cause congestion.
“We also urge the public to be more patient as we become more vulnerable under unfavorable warm weather. Avoid causing tension by, for example, parking our vehicles well to avoid causing traffic,” he said in Cebuano.
Ready
Ouano assured the public that CCTO is “100 percent ready” not only for the launching parade on Friday, but for the entire duration of the Sinulog celebration.
He pointed out that CCTO has been on duty, even during the holidays as a “no leave” policy is being implemented until on Jan. 16.