Councilor wants DOTr to expedite Cebu Bus Rapid Transit completion

BUS STATION. This is the architectural design of one of the stations of the Cebu City Bus Rapid Transit project. —FACEBOOK

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Due to the “traffic mess” that the ongoing construction of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit System (CBRT) has caused, the Cebu City’s traffic czar wants to expedite its completion.

Councilor Rey Gealon, who also heads the Traffic Management Committee, filed a resolution requesting the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to “expedite the completion” of the CBRT project.

The council approved the resolution during the regular session on Wednesday, Jan. 31.

‘To reduce inconvenience’

Gealon made this request because he wants to reduce the “inconvenience and impact that the ongoing construction has” on Cebuanos and “all people traversing the road.”

Gealon noted in his resolution that the CBRT is a “mass transit system under construction.”

“However, the construction, apart from creating traffic mess due to its construction, it financially affects government’s financial disposition,” Gealon wrote.

READ MORE: BRT Project finally breaks ground Feb. 27

As per the reports, he said that from 2025, the project’s completion was moved to 2027 due to the “delays in design changes.”

“However, the delay has caused unnecessary traffic congestion in the are resulting to longer trip times, loss of productivity, and even major impacts like damage to vehicles, and injuries to drivers and passengers,” Gealon added.

The CBRT project broke ground last Feb. 27, 2023.

It is one of the national government’s flagship infrastructure projects designed to improve the overall performance of the urban passenger transport system in Cebu City.