Only two stairways are what are left of a skywalk that once stood along MC Briones Street in Barangay Maguikay. | Mandaue City PIO photo
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu— The skywalk in Barangay Maguikay that was recently removed due to safety concerns will be rebuilt, according to a city official.
Mandaue City Councilor Jesus “Jun” Arcilla, chairman of the Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure, said that the city and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) plan to build a new skywalk along M.C Briones St. in Sitio Sudlon, Barangay Maguikay. The skywalk will be built on the same area where the old one once stood.
“Ang plano gyud sa city and sa DPWH is i-restore gyud siya balik. Pero di pa ta [kaingon] ug kanusa,” said Arcilla in an interview with the media on Monday, April 3, 2023.
(The plan of the city and the DPWH is to restore the skywalk. But we still can’t say when.)
Arcilla said that although there is no exact date yet on when the construction will start, what’s for sure is that the height of the new skywalk will be higher compared to the old one.
“Mu appear pa sad namo ang DPWH karong April 12 sa session nato. Anha nato mahibal-an kanusa sugdan ang pag restore,” Arcilla said. “Pero 100-percent ibalik gyud.”
(The DPWH will appear in our April 12 session. That’s when we will know when we can start the restoration of the skywalk. But 100-percent, it will be restored.)
Officials of the city see the need to build a skywalk there for the safety of pedestrians, especially since there is a school near the area.
It can be recalled that the old skywalk was removed over the weekend due to its ruinous state after its beam was hit by a refrigerated van.
READ: LOOK: Scary state of Mandaue skywalk
READ: Demolition of Mandaue skywalk complete; road again passable to motorists
Arcilla said the height of the new skywalk needs to be higher to make sure it is clear for passing vehicles.
“Ang ato man gud dalan diha, sige ta ug overlay, hangtod na iyang height limit, niubos na. Mao nang naigo siguro,” Arcilla said.
(Because of the overlays being done on the road beneath the skywalk, the height limit decreases. That maybe is the reason why it gets hit.)
Arcilla clarified though that the old height of the skywalk was standard.
Arcilla said the budget for the skywalk will be from the national government.
/bmjo