IN September, will some of our traffic woes end?
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 7 yesterday said both sides of the underpass project on N. Bacalso Ave. in Mambaling, Cebu City will be passable by September this year.
Although vehicular traffic was observed on a depressed portion of N. Bacalso Ave. yesterday morning, a Cebu City Hall official said it was an improvement compared to how it was last Monday, after traffic enforcers were again fielded in the Mambaling area.
Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) operations chief Francisco Ouano said that since classes resumed for a Catholic university that celebrated a holiday last Monday, the number of northbound vehicles increased yesterday, especially during peak hours.
“As of this morning (Tuesday, July 17), there is heavy traffic but moving ra man gyud. It’s a big improvement, of course, because last Monday, dili ma-spelling ang sitwasyon kay wala may maka-man sa traffic (the situation was ungovernable when no one was around to man the traffic),” he said.
Back in Mambaling
In a separate interview, Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he decided to send the CCTO personnel back to the south district because he didn’t want students to suffer.
“LTO abandoned their own challenge that they will show us how to do it. They insist that they’re the only agency authorized to implement the law so I let them do it. When they claimed that they are the authority, if I didn’t do it, I may be accused of hanging on to power and abusing my authority,” he said.
The mayor and Land Transportation Office (LTO) 7 Director Victor Caindec have been taunting each other on Facebook these past three weeks.
Go elsewhere
Councilor Dave Tumulak, head of the committee on public order and safety, urged drivers of private vehicles to use Inayawan Road and make N. Bacalso a priority area for public utility jeepneys.
“It seems viable because those with private vehicles went to that road last Monday, in anticipation of the possible heavy congestion kay wala’y traffic enforcers. But most importantly, disiplina gyud atong kailangan sa dalan (what we really need is discipline on the road),” he said.
For almost a year now, traffic in Mambaling has worsened, part of the underpass construction’s impact.
During the 888 News Forum in Marco Polo Plaza, DPWH 7 Project Engineer Roy dela Cruz said the agency is now on the fourth stage of the project and the fifth stage will be done by September.
Done by 2019
According to the agency’s timeline, the P683-million underpass project in Mambaling will be fully completed by March 28, 2019.
Dela Cruz said there will be a road-widening component of the underpass project, but they proceeded with the main construction to avoid delays arising from road-right-of-way (RROW) issues.
Dela Cruz, who represented DPWH 7 Director Ador Canlas, said that the underpass itself is about 503 meters long, but reaches 700 meters with the approaches.
The 700-meter span will start on Tabada St. and end at the corner bound for the Rama Compound. The underpass is two lanes, while the side roads will consist of two lanes on each side.
“At present, it’s only good for one lane to each side. Hopefully by next year, we can complete the additional two lanes on both sides,” dela Cruz said.
He said they have completed the main structures or main slab on top of the underpass in front of the intersection of F. Llamas St. and N. Bacalso Ave.
“The underpass is like an inverted flyover. Instead of going over, we are going under. The vehicles going to and from Cebu City will pass through and through without being hampered by a traffic light at the corner of F. Llamas St,” said dela Cruz.
Work on it began last Aug. 17, 2017.
When the project was implemented, DPWH was concerned about the drainage system that would carry the runoff water from F. Llamas St., crossing N. Bacalso Ave. But dela Cruz said that problem has been addressed by diverting the water to a big drainage line going toward the South Road Properties.