TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE SEEN

It is considered one of the four “infra boom” projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which is designed to ease traffic congestion in Metro Cebu.

But it looks like the construction of the P947-million tri-level flyover project on U.N. Avenue in Mandaue City will cause the very problem that its existence envisions to solve.

During the Mactan Bridge Management Board meeting held last January 9 at the Capitol, DPWH maintenance officer Faustino dela Cruz said that the project is expected to start construction within the year.

But according to two Cebuano businessmen, who hold positions in the Regional Development Council in Central Visayas (RDC-7), DPWH is yet to present a traffic management plan, which will allay fears and answer concerns that the construction of the project will cause traffic congestion in the area.

World-renowned industrial designer Kenneth Cobonpue, who sits as RDC-7 chairperson, said he did not see any traffic study presented by DPWH, which justifies the reason why a flyover project is needed in the area.

Cobonpue said the traffic management plan is a critical part of the project since construction is expected to run for 2.5 to three years.

“I believe there are cost-effective options that will provide less inconvenience to commuters. A study is a comparison of solutions to a problem, not just a presentation of one solution. What I am seeing is that they are just decided to make a flyover. They are not transparent,” Cobonpue told Cebu Daily News in a phone interview.

Meeting

The meeting of the Mactan Bridge Management Board earlier this month was attended by Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III, Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) general manager Steve Dicdican, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-Central Visayas (LTFRB-7) Regional Director Ahmed Cuizon and representatives of the local government units of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.

In the meeting, Dela Cruz said the project was awarded to a winning bidder in the later part of 2017. DPWH, however, withheld the name of the contractor pending approval from Regional Director Ador Canlas.

Glenn Anthony Soco, chairperson of RDC-7’s Infrastructure Development Committee (IDC), said they had a long discussion on the DPWH proposal, along with comments from the Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating Board (MCDCB), during the third quarter meeting of the IDC last August 31, 2016.

Soco said DPWH-7 was instructed to coordinate with the local governments of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, MCDCB and other stakeholders in coming up with a traffic management plan before the implementation of the proposed depressed structure component of the U.N. Avenue Tri-Level Flyover and other similar project of the agency.

But until now, no traffic management plan was presented.

Soco, however, said that they met with DPWH-7 officials last week at the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas to discuss the project.
He said they were told that DPWH will hold a public consultation on the traffic management plan.

CDN reached out to DPWH yesterday but was told that they are still in the design-and-build phase before they start project construction.

An officer from DPWH-7, who refused to disclose identity for lack of authority to speak on the matter, said it will take around six months for their engineers to complete the design-and-build phase.

“As of now we’re still in the design-and-build phase. There is no traffic management plan yet. It will only be created once the design-and-build is done, which usually takes about six months so (we will) probably (complete the phase) around June,” the source said.

Gateway

Gordon Alan “Dondi” Joseph, president of the Cebu Business Club, said construction of the project should wait until the third bridge is completed.
“Businessmen feel that it is better to wait till the third bridge is built before closing down an important airport and business/hotel access road for three years,” said Joseph, who also sits as chairperson of the MCDCB Executive Committee.

In the meantime, Joseph said authorities need to implement sound traffic management practices at the intersection of U.N. Avenue and Plaridel Street.

Both Cobonpue and Soco called for transparency in this DPWH project.

Soco said U.N. Avenue is a gateway to the major cities of Cebu and closing it down for three years will negatively affect tourism and business if the traffic situation is not properly managed.

“If this project pushes through with construction and there is no clear traffic management, then the public will surely suffer. I don’t want to sound like an alarmist but it will be better for stakeholders to be more engaging and prudent,” said Soco.

Cobonpue believes that a multi-million flyover project is not the answer to traffic congestion.

“For that amount of money, there are other options that can be done. You can build series of loops, you can open intersections, you can widen the road. The construction of an underpass entails more work because you have to build it,” he said.

Cobonpue said the second terminal of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport is expected to open by June 2018. Construction of the tri-level flyover project will mean economic loss to Cebu without efficient traffic study, he added.

Infra boom

The DPWH source said they are currently conducting the parcellary survey to determine which properties will be affected the moment the construction of the project starts.

According to the DPWH Special Order No. 72 series of 2017, the design-and-build phase of the tri-level flyover project is headed by a design-and build committee, chaired by DPWH-7 Assistant Director Juby Cordon, with engineers Angelina Forcadilla, Nonato Paylado, Joselito Sayson and Manny Bulusan as members.

The special order also noted that the design-and-build phase will include reviewing the project’s conceptual design and evaluating the contract and other activities pertaining to its implementation.

DPWH Secretary Mark Villar named the project as one of the four “infra boom” projects in Cebu. The other three projects are Metro Cebu Expressway connecting Naga City to Danao City, the N. Bacalso underpass which is currently under construction and the P16-billion bypass coastal road connecting Talisay City to Naga City.

Even when Villar named the project in May 2017, several stakeholders already raised concerns over the possibility of a traffic buildup, particularly in U.N. Avenue and connecting streets such as D.M. Cortes and Plaridel Street because of the absence of a plan that would ensure vehicular flow will not be stationary once construction will begin.

Barge, Ro-Ro

During the January 9 meeting, the project was presented to have a flyover, a tunnel and service roads as means to decongest traffic flow to and from the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, particularly on U.N. Avenue, the road that leads to the Marcelo Fernan Bridge, more popularly known as the “second bridge.”

The tunnel will span up to 600 meters with its entry points at the intersection of U.N. Avenue and Plaridel Street, and at the base of Marcelo Fernan Bridge.

Vehicles bound to and from Mactan Island via Marcelo Fernan Bridge are expected to traverse through the tunnel while those crossing U.N. Avenue from nearby streets will ply on the service roads and the flyover.

During the August 2016 RDC-IDC meeting, Soco said Engineer Fortunato Sanchez Jr., who was then MCDCB representative, presented their response to DPWH comments on the proposed channelized-flared intersection improvements at the intersection of U.N. Avenue and Plaridel Street in Mandaue City.

Soco said Sanchez also presented another option instead of a tri-level flyover.

CDN reached Sanchez for his proposal on alternative options to the tri-level flyover. But he said he already resigned from his MCDCB post.

Mandaue City Mayor Gabriel Luis “Luigi” Quisumbing had earlier proposed that the city operate a barge and Ro-Ro (roll-on/roll-off) ships from Mandaue City to Mactan Island, temporary operation of water taxi services and opening of new roads.

In an earlier interview, Quisumbing said the city will be opening new roads in Barangay Umapad. Talks with “very well-known shipping companies” are also underway so they can provide service for the barge and Ro-Ro operations.