A 30-METER-WIDE diversion road with a length of 2.6 kilometers will be built at a cost of P1.11 billion to connect Barangays Guadalupe, Capitol Site and Lahug in Cebu City. A separate budget of P2.8 billion will be allocated for the right-of-way (ROW) acquisition.
In a document provided by Cebu City Councilor Jerry Guardo, committee on infrastructure chairman, the project will affect 34 houses on 27 lots in Barangay Guadalupe with a total land area of 2,752 square meters; 19 lots in Barangay Capitol Site with a total land area of 1,948 square meters; and 195 houses, a chapel and a five-story building in Barangay Lahug with a total land area of 7,833 square meters.
Guardo told SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is currently calculating the total value of affected private structures.
“They will hire an independent appraiser to conduct the appraisal of the value of the property,” he said in a mix of Cebuano and English.
He said that once the value is computed, the DPWH will compensate owners of affected structures, and relocate informal settler families (ISF).
“For the private properties, they will be given just compensation once they (DPWH) settle the value of the lot, including the structures. The relocation site only applies to ISFs’ structures,” he said.
Guardo said there could be minor adjustments to the diversion road’s alignment to minimize the number of structures, especially those close to the Department of Education Ecotech Center in Barangay Lahug.
The councilor said the project is currently on hold as the DPWH is endorsing it to the agency’s central office for the purpose of requesting a budget for the civil works and the ROW acquisition amounting to a total of P3.9 billion.
He said the basis for the appropriation of funds is the detailed engineering design (DED), which was completed in 2021 yet. The feasibility study was completed in 2018.
He said that aside from Escario St., the diversion road also aims to decongest traffic on nearby streets like V. Rama Ave. in Barangay Guadalupe and Osmeña Blvd. in Barangay Capitol Site.
In a previous interview, Guardo said the final alignment of the DED for the proposed diversion road would connect Barangays Guadalupe, Capitol Site and Lahug.
The diversion road, which will have two lanes on either side, will start beside the Guadalupe Barangay Hall on A. Abellana Ext. and traverse Ecotech, while the other end will be near the Lahug Barangay Hall on Gemsville Rd.
According to the map that was presented, the diversion road will cross several streets, including A. Abellana Ext., Acacia St., Sunset Drive, J. Solon Drive and Gemsville Rd.
The project will also include the construction of two bridges that will cross the Guadalupe River and Kamputhaw River.
