Fourth Bridge seen to dramatically ease traffic

The fourth Mactan-Mandaue bridge is expected to dramatically ease traffic flow especially in the northern parts of Metro Cebu.
/CONTRIBUTED

THE construction and eventual completion of the fourth bridge that would link Mactan Island and mainland Metro Cebu have been eagerly awaited by both the public and private sectors.

Mandaue City Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna said they are elated with the announcement of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) that construction of the fourth Mactan-Cebu bridge will start next year.

“This project has been most awaited and we are elated that the process has now commenced,” Fortuna told Cebu Daily News over the phone yesterday.

He added that the fourth bridge will address the gridlock between mainland Cebu and Mactan Island.

Stanley Go, President of Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), is hoping that the project will be implemented on time to spur further development in the northern portion of Metro Cebu.

“Having a fourth Mactan-Cebu bridge is strategic in nature since it will provide further access to Mactan Island from mainland Cebu, regardless if its endpoint will be located in Mandaue City, Consolacion, or Liloan,” said Go.

Business leader and chair of the Infrastructure Development Committee of the Regional Development Council in Central Visayas (RDC-IDC), Glenn Soco, likewise is hoping that the fourth bridge will improve traffic flow in the area.

“It’s a very good development that other countries, like Japan, has shown interest in providing assistance with our infra needs because what we need actually is external interventions in pursuing big-ticket projects,” said Soco.

Alleviating the traffic woes in Mandaue City is also what the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (Team) is expecting especially since the city has become the gateway for people coming from Mactan Island where Cebu’s lone international airport, tourist spots and high-end resorts are located.

TEAM chief Glenn Antigua said they have a rough estimate of 500,000 trips made by vehicles traversing major roads to and from Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City.

Antigua believes that a fourth bridge would ease traffic especially for vehicles from the north going to Mactan and vice versa.

“Dako kaayo nag impact kay ang mga vehicles going north kay dili na moagi sa Marcelo Fernan Bridge (second bridge),” he said.

Antigua also assured that the construction of the fourth bridge will not be an added discomfort to drivers and commuters especially with the ongoing development of the P946-million tri-level project at U.N. Avenue in Mandaue City.