THE dedicated lanes for the first package of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) are 80 percent finished, and should be fully completed by Jan. 15, 2024, or before the celebration of the Fiesta Señor and the Sinulog.
The initial target completion date for the first package, which covers a distance of 2.38 kilometers from the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) along N. Bacalso Ave. to the front of the Capitol building along Osmeña Blvd., was Dec. 18, but this was moved due to delays, according to CBRT project manager Norvin Imbong.
“Ma-clear na na, among gyud nang paningkamutan nga ok na na siyang dedicated lanes, makadagan na ang bus, so mga minor (civil) works na lang sa sidewalk,” Imbong told SunStar Cebu on Monday, Dec. 4, after meeting Cebu City officials to discuss final details of the demolition of two skywalks along Osmeña Blvd.
(Once that is cleared, we will do our best that the dedicated lanes will be okay, the buses will be able to run, so there will only be minor civil works along the sidewalks.)
Imbong said the drainage system is also 20 percent finished, adding that its civil works rely on the completion of the dedicated lanes.
He said the contractor, Human Road and Bridge Construction Group Co. Ltd. of China, will now start building the bus stations along the dedicated lanes.
The civil works of the first package started in February right after the groundbreaking ceremony led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Meanwhile, Imbong said the procurement process for the second package of the CBRT will start in January.
The proponent has also started market sounding for the upcoming procurement process.
He said the bidding documents for Package 2 have already been endorsed to the World Bank for approval.
Package 2 is composed of two routes: one is from the Capitol building to the Cebu IT Park traversing Escario St., Gorordo Ave., Archbishop Reyes Ave. and M.J. Cuenco Ave., while the other is from the CSBT to the South Road Properties (SRP) traversing N. Bacalso Ave.
It will include a terminal and a depot at the SRP.
Its entire length is around 10.65 kilometers.