CEBU City Mayor Edgardo Labella asked Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar to send in experts and look into the “functionality and structural integrity” of the underpass along N. Bacalso Ave. in Mambaling, Cebu City.
In a letter addressed to Villar dated April 3, 2021, the mayor said that the multi-million underpass was heavily flooded within just 30 minutes of rain.
“This made the area unpassable, causing vehicular traffic in the area, which is a busy thoroughfare in Cebu City. This is now becoming a normal occurrence during the rains in Cebu City,” Labella said.
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Swamp Mambaling underpass causes jam in Cebu City south
Flooding blamed on lack of drainage at underpass
The P638-million Mambaling underpass is one of the projects of the National Government in Cebu City. It is managed and maintained by DPWH.
“I recall, several years back, this project was supposed to include underground concrete cisterns to serve as storage for floodwater in case of rains. But apparently, this component of the project was scrapped,” Labella said.
In October last year, DPWH 7 Director Edgar Tabacon told members of the Cebu City Council that the agency could not implement the P16.7-million road-widening project with a drainage system that could prevent flooding near the Mambaling underpass because of difficulties in the acquisition of road right-of-way.
Copies of Labella’s letter to Villar were also sent to the Office of the Ombudsman, Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas, and DPWH Cebu City District Engineering Office. (NRC)