FROM Dec. 16 to after the Sinulog, which will be on Jan. 20, work on all road projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 7 in Cebu City will be suspended. For projects outside Cebu City but within Metro Cebu, work will be suspended until Jan. 2.
This is to help address road congestion during the holidays, said DPWH 7 Assistant Director Mario Montejo.
However, Montejo clarified that work will continue on the underpass project in Mambaling, Cebu City, the concreting project on Ouano Ave. in Mandaue City and the Mananga Bridge in Talisay City.
Montejo was speaking during the traffic summit held at the Capitol on Monday, Dec. 10.
He said they will also remove heavy equipment and other obstructions to traffic, including debris.
In a related development, the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) has hired an additional 120 traffic enforcers to augment its existing 300 enforcers.
Traffic is expected to get worse during the holidays and will remain that way until after the Sinulog celebration.
CCTO operations chief Francisco Ouano said the new enforcers will be fielded along major thoroughfares in the city in three shifts.
“We really need our traffic enforcers to manage traffic on our streets, considering that Christmas and the New Year are fast approaching, and right after that, we will also celebrate the Sinulog,” Ouano told SunStar Cebu.
With the Misa de Gallo, or dawn masses, starting next week, the CCTO will also field enforcers on roads near churches to help supervise traffic.
On top of the newly hired enforcers, members of Task Force Alpha will also help manage traffic.
The group currently has 40 members serving as volunteers at the CCTO.
“There are around 100 traffic enforcers who are from Task Force Alpha and they’ve already trained even before they got accepted for the job,” Ouano said.
Members of Task Force Alpha can apprehend traffic violators because they are deputized by the CCTO.
Meanwhile, Montejo said they will put up reflectorized signs and plastic barriers on Ouano Ave. to prevent accidents. He said there have been some accidents in the area, which he attributed to drunk drivers who failed to see the concreting project.
To solve the traffic problem, Land Transportation Office 7 Director Victor Caindec suggested educating the drivers about traffic laws and enforcing these laws.
Some drivers violate these laws to escape traffic, he said.
Montejo also called the attention of local government units to immediately remove vehicles that get involved in accidents. He said traffic builds up when those involved in the accident wait for investigators to arrive before their vehicles are removed from the road.
During the summit, traffic managers of different towns and component cities also agreed not to hold their Christmas party between Dec. 16 and the Sinulog. (EOB, RVC)