‘Experimental rotunda’ in Mandaue : UN Avenue ’roundabout’ hit by motorists

Mandaue City’s roundabout system at UN Avenue and DM Cortes St. | Photo and text from Sugbo News

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A dry run of a proposed rotunda or roundabout in one of the busiest intersections in Mandaue City caused heavy traffic since Sunday, April 14, making it the subject of frustrations from motorists.

The Cebu Provincial government, Mandaue City government and the Department of Public Works and Highways here wanted to have a rotunda on the intersections of the U.N. Avenue and D.M Cortes Street.

In turn, they set up an ‘experimental rotunda’ last Sunday afternoon.

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However, not many welcomed the idea following Sunday’s test as the mock rotunda resulted in a gridlock instead, with motorists complaining of heavy, bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Some even took to social media to air out their frustrations, complaining that a roundabout may not be appropriate for the junction.

But as of 8:30 a.m., on Monday, April 15, the ‘experimental rotunda’ was removed.

Meanwhile, project proponents vowed to improve it, following an inspection they made last Sunday.

In a report from Sugbo News, the Capitol’s media outlet, the province promised to do road widening to allow for a bigger rotunda.

They also planned to move the rotunda itself closer to the corner of D.M. Cortes Street.

“Gov. Gwen Garcia will meet owners of the affected lots in the area, telcos, and utility firms whose structures fall within the roundabout area to discuss terms on how they can help make the system work,” they added.

Since 2017, there have been proposals made to ease traffic congestion on the intersection of U.N. Avenue and D.M. Cortes Street, which provides access to the Marcelo Fernan Bridge as well as to Cansaga Bridge.

One of the plans was a multi-level infrastructure project that had a flyover and an underpass. However, the multi-million project was scrapped due to multiple reasons, including an ongoing legal battle between the contractor and the DPWH.