The Cebu-Toledo Wharf Road in Sitio Absa, Barangay Don Andres Soriano (DAS) in Toledo City is temporarily closed due to the collapsed portion of the road, said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in its advisory on Saturday, June 25, 2022.
Alberta Algarme, a resident, expressed concern over the collapsed road, saying they have been complaining about it for a week but the DPWH has not yet found a solution for it.
"Somebody was sent here but he only took pictures of the damaged road, measured the extent of the damage and made a report on it. He did not come back since then. It is also dark here during the nighttime as there are no streetlights)," Algarme said in an interview with SunStar Cebu on Saturday, June 25.
She said they first noticed the pothole after a motorcycle driver got stuck in it.
She added that the water in the area will rise during the downpour due to the damaged culvert.
"One of our neighbors already checked the pothole and found out that at least three culverts below it were damaged, hampering the flow of water in the area," Algarme said in Cebuano.
"It (damage) would have been very small ... at dawn about one o'clock (today, June 25) I was shaking, when I went outside I saw that the road was sinking," she added.
DAS village chair Jose Jeffrey Cabrera said it is also possible that large trucks passing through the area contributed to the damage.
Cabrera said a signage has already been placed on the damaged road to prevent accidents.
"Amo na ni gireport sa DPHW pero kahibaw ka aning gobiyerno nga ma dugay-dugay sad ako na lang gibutangan og danger sign nga dili na paagian. Gi-detour naman namo adto na sila agi sa Cantabaco lusot sila didto pwede man sila mo-agi didto dili na sila maka-agi sa Lutopan," said Cabrera on Saturday.
(We already reported the matter to the DPWH, but since the government has not responded yet, I temporarily placed a road closed sign. We requested motorists to take a detour to Cantabaco, but they will no longer pass through Lutopan).
Meanwhile, Cebu Third District Representative Pablo John “PJ” Garcia said he will talk with the DPWH officials to address the problem.
The DPWH announced on Saturday that it already assessed the extent of the damage and is now preparing its request for funding for the road repair.
The culverts and other equipment for road repairs are also being readied. (ANV, TPT)