COMMUTERS from Barangays Mambaling, Pardo, Punta Princesa, Tisa and Labangon in Cebu City will soon be able to heave a sigh of relief.
The heavy traffic that has plagued these areas since the P700-million underpass project on N. Bacalso Ave. in Mambaling was implemented in the middle of 2017 will soon be a thing of the past.
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 7 Director Edgar Tabacon appealed for more patience, as they expected the underpass to open to traffic next month.
This, as heavy traffic was experienced in these areas on Saturday, Feb. 2.
With the underpass opened to traffic, southbound motorists would no longer have to pass Barangays Punta Princesa and Tisa, Tabacon said.
The DPWH 7 would also concentrate on widening and concreting the two-lane service roads on both sides, he added.
For several months last year, a portion of N. Bacalso Ave., especially in front of Shopwise, McDonald’s and Gaisano Super Metro, was closed to traffic because of the construction of the underpass.
Most motorists going to and from southern Cebu were forced to use the already congested streets of Tres de Abril, Sabellano and F. Llamas in Punta Princesa.
The heavy bumper-to-bumper traffic sometimes lasted past midnight every night. The situation was alleviated with the opening to traffic of one lane of both sides of the underpass project.
However, major thoroughfares near the project were again congested last Feb. 2 even though there were no classes and no work, which prompted several motorists to complain.
Tabacon assured the contractor of the project was doing finishing touches so the underpass could open next month.