Leave early for airport and piers; stay away from IronMan routes

Source: Sunrise Events Inc.

Those who have flights out of the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) and need to go to the port areas in Cebu City are advised to leave for their destinations early because of the closure of major routes between Mactan Island and mainland Cebu today.

Key roads in Metro Cebu will be closed today for an international sporting event, the IronMan 70.3 2016 Asia-Pacific Championship triathlon, and rerouting will be implemented for both private vehicles and public utility jeepneys (PUJ) arriving or leaving the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Talisay in the mainland and Lapu-Lapu on Mactan Island.

To be completely closed from 5 a.m. to 12 noon today are the Sergio Osmeña Boulevard, which linked Mandaue and Cebu cities; and the whole stretch of road from the Legaspi Extension along the North Reclamation Area in Cebu City to the underpass, and on to the Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR) traversing the South Road Properties (SRP) up to Talisay City.

In Talisay City, the CSCR, from its entrance in Barangay Lawaan II, will be closed as early as 4 a.m. to give way to racers who are taking part in the 90-kilometer bike race that will begin there.

Those who will be going out today coming from the southern part of the province are advised to take the national highway or the Natalio Bacalso Road.

City of Talisay-Traffic Operation Development Authority (CT-Toda) head Hiram Benatiro, however, said that motorists who reside along the entire stretch of the CSCR could still take the same route up to Talisay’s boundary in SRP. Also, residents from the coastal barangays of San Roque, Tanke, Cansojong, Poblacion, Dumlog, Biasong and Pooc can still go out with their car to cross CSCR but only up to 6 a.m., after which no vehicle would be allowed to use the CSCR.

In Mandaue City, Ouano Avenue, A. Soriano Avenue, and D.M. Cortes Street will be temporarily closed to motorists also at 4 a.m.

Glenn Antigua, head of the Traffice Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (Team), advised the city’s residents to read the city’s official Facebook page and follow the rerouting advise. Vehicles bound for Mandaue and Cebu City are asked to take M.C. Briones and L. Jaena streets.

Those who are bound for Lapu-Lapu City and MCIA should take S.B. Cabahug St. to UN Avenue or take the L. Jaena Street, M.C. Briones Street and U.N. Avenue for the duration of race until it ends at 2 p.m.

In Talisay City, Benatiro advised spectators and even barangay tanods and policemen tasked to secure the race route not to be the first ones to enter the route in order to take photos together with celebrities participating in the race. In the past, he said, those tasked to man the race route left their posts to get selfies or photos with celebrities.

Around 300 students are tasked to man the race route together with the 100 police interns, 78 policemen, and 136 barangay tanods, Benatiro said.

He also urged them to strictly disallow spectators to go inside the bike race route. Bike racers are expected to take the route twice to complete the 90-km bike race.

Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) head Rafael Christopher Yap, on the other hand, urged the public and motorists to heed and to take note of the traffic rerouting in the city.

“Plan your trips to avoid hassle in the streets. There are alternate routes you can take,” he said.

Yap said at least 117 CCTO traffic enforcers would be deployed to man the traffic manually on some intersections and to help decongest traffic situation.

CCTO will also put railings on intersections on the roads that will be used by the participants to discourage spectators from going beyond the physical barriers.

The Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Managment Office (CCDRRMO), meanwhile, will deploy six ambulances with Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel, which will be positioned along the IronMan routes in Barangays Tinago, Tejero and Mabolo and at the SRP.

Also to be deployed is a team from Cebu City’s Quick Response Team (QRT), which has specialized equipment for emergency cases, said Yap.