Things to know about the Cebu BRT — the first in the country
BUS STATION. This is the architectural design of one of the stations of the Cebu City Bus Rapid Transit project. —FACEBOOK
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The public witnessed on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, the ceremonial groundbreaking of the anticipated Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) – package one.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., led the groundbreaking and he was joined by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) Sec. Jaime Bautista, Leyte’s First District Rep. Martin Romuladez, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama.
READ: Cebu BRT Project-Phase One breaks ground
BENEFITS
According to the DOTr, the project’s lead implementing agency, the Cebu BRT (CBRT) is among the national government projects approved to provide an “affordable, reliable, efficient, and safe” public transportation system in Metro Cebu.
It involves 13.18 kilometers (km) of segregated lanes with 17 stations, one depot, and one trunk terminal from South Road Properties (SRP) in Cebu City’s south district to the IT Park in the north of the city.
The project includes a 22.1 km Feeder Line System, which will run over mixed traffic, with two feeder terminals.
The CBRT project, traversing the cities of Cebu and Talisay and other towns of Cebu Province, is divided into three phases. It will have a total of 76 bus stops across the province.
DOTr Sec. Jaime Bautista, in his speech during the groundbreaking ceremony at the Fuente Osmeña Rotunda, on Monday, said the project aims to: (1) reduce travel time, (2) increase economic productivity through the efficient mobility of goods and services, (3) reduce air emissions through a reduction in average energy consumption, and lastly, provide equitable access, convenient, comfortable, safe, and secure public transport.
“For the information of our Cebuano friends, did you know that according to the official records, 34 people die everyday on the road in the Philippines? Therefore, the safety dimension of the Cebu BRT should not be trivialized,” Bautista said in his speech.
CAPACITY AND DESIGN
The DOTr said about 60,000 passengers daily will be accommodated during its first year of operation, while it can cater around 160,000 passenger once it is fully operational.
The DOTr selected the Foglia Design to be the main design of the Cebu BRT.
This Foglia design was among the design schemes produced by Cebuano and renowned designer Kenneth Cobonpue.
The DOTr said 83 buses will ply the BRT during its opening year and 144 buses by 2038.
COST AND FINANCING
The CBRT is funded by the World Bank, the French Development Agency, and the Philippine government.
The three packages of the CBRT has a NEDA-approved budget of P16.307 billion. NEDA stands for National Economic Development Authority.
PHASES AND TIMELINE
The DOTr awarded the Package one of the CBRT to Hunan Road and Bridge Construction Group Co. Ltd. in late 2022.
The said contractor will take charge for the civil works and completion of Phase One, or the construction of the 2.38-km Segregated Bus Lane with four Bus Stations and 1.15 km of pedestrian improvement.
The private contractor of the P900 million project aims to have the CBRT Phase One partially operational by December 2023 and fully operational by the second quarter of 2025.
Meanwhile, the CBRT Package 2 covers construction of 10.8 km Segregated Bus Lane, with 13 bus stations, including one bus terminal in SRP, one roundabout facility in IT Park, and one depot in SRP.
As of now, the project proponents are still finalizing its detailed design.
Package 3 includes the construction of 22.1 km feeder route, with 76 bus stops including feeder terminals in Barangay Talamban in Cebu City and in Talisay City.
HISTORY
The CBRT encountered “much” or over a decade of delay.
The reasons include finalization of route alignment, adjustment on funding requirements, and even during the bidding process for Phase One, as previous contractors lacked documents.
In November 2011, the World Bank appointed the Integrated Transport Planning Ltd. (ITP) to undertake the Feasibility Study for the CBRT.
On September 21, 2012, the ITP produced their Final Report of the Feasibility Study for the CBRT project.
On May 29, 2014, NEDA approved the CBRT project at a total project cost of P10.6 billion.
However, this was revised to P16.3 billion as approved by the NEDA Board on June 22, 2017 to comply with the new law, the RA 10752 or “The Right-of-Way Act.”
The DOTr awarded the contract for the CBRT Phase One to HNRB, a private contractor based in China in November 2022.
Currently, the project is undergoing a request for Change in Scope and Increase in Cost with NEDA.
/bmjo
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