CHINESE contractor Hunan Road and Bridge Construction Group Co. Ltd. will continue working on Package 1 of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project after it received the initial mobilization fund, which is 10 percent of the over P900 million total contract price, from the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
This was confirmed by Norvin Imbong, project manager of CBRT, on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.
The DOTr had been given until June 15 to pay the agreed amount, according to City Councilor Jerry Guardo, chairman of the committee on infrastructure.
Earlier, Hunan Construction had allegedly threatened to quit pending the release of the mobilization fund.
Work on the CBRT began following its groundbreaking last Feb. 27. Imbong said excluding the building of sidewalks, drainage and four CBRT stations, work on the dedicated lanes was now 23 percent complete.
Hunan is now working on the dedicated lanes along the Fuente Osmeña Circle.
The CBRT project manager also disclosed that they are now processing the documents needed for the demolition of two skywalks along Osmeña Boulevard, which are located near the Department of Health and Cebu Normal University.
The contractor has been awarded the P900 million project that would create the BRT infrastructure on the 2.38-kilometer stretch from the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) on N. Bacalso Avenue to Osmeña Boulevard going to the Cebu Provincial Capitol.
Imbong said Package 1 is expected to be finished by December. The entire BRT project has a budget of P16.3 billion divided into three packages.
Package 2 is composed of 10.8 kilometers of routes from the Capitol to the Cebu I.T. Park in Barangay Lahug and another route from the CSBT to the South Road Properties (SRP).
Package 3 will include 22.1 kilometers of routes from the Cebu I.T. Park to Barangay Talamban and the SRP to Talisay City. (PAC, TPT)