A TRAFFIC re-routing scheme is now being reviewed by the Traffic Management Office (TMO) of Dumaguete City a few months prior to the closure of a major bridge due for rehabilitation, an official said.
Dumaguete City Councilor Alan Gel Cordova, who heads the Committee on Traffic and Transportation, said February 7 that the City Government is bracing for the worst when the project commences in April.
The multi-million peso rehabilitation project of the New Banica Bridge will be undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The bridge is a major artery leading from the center of the city to the south national road that connects Dumaguete City to the other towns and cities in the south.
Cordova said the proposed re-routing scheme has also been forwarded to Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo for review.
The TMO is now preparing signboards for the new traffic scheme, while City Hall is starting to disseminate such information to the public, he said.
Cordova said he is anticipating traffic congestion when the bridge project begins, as he begged for cooperation from the public to help ease additional traffic problems arising from the closure of the bridge.
He said part of the re-routing scheme would include utilizing a smaller bridge that connects the coastal areas of Tinago and Canday-ong in Calindagan.
Cordova also said the City Government is now proposing a total truck ban during daytime to address the growing traffic problem in Dumaguete.
The proposal, however, would need an executive order from the mayor.
Delivery vans, trucks, container vans and the like are to be banned from plying the city’s streets, especially the major thoroughfares, at the proposed time, which is from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., said Cordova.
There is also the need to address the size of vehicles that are utilized for delivery and similar purposes, he said.
In one to two weeks, the study on the proposed truck ban will be finished, the councilor added.
The truckers, in a previous meeting, expressed apprehension over the proposed truck ban as it will mean additional costs that in turn will be passed on to the consumers and other clients, Cordova said. (PNA)