Early dry run for Mandaue

One-way rerouting starts July 29 for APEC;  Mayor: Sorry for the traffic, let’s adjust

Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes :”I apologize for many things this traffic has caused.. but I also ask you to be a part of the solution. Every effort in coping with this problem will do some good.”

Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes is pushing ahead early with rerouting plans on Wednesday with the hope of easing congestion in the run-up to Cebu’s APEC meetings in August.

Four main roads will made be one-way thoroughfares, affecting the heaviest routes, like those near Pacific Mall and City Hall.

Freshly painted  signboards  were being rushed over the weekend to have the detour guides in place on the streets by Wednesday.

“The mayor didn’t want to wait for August.  He wants the dry run on July 29 so we have time to observe whether it works and make adjustments,” said Roger Paler, Mandaue city public information officer.

All vehicles will follow a one-way flow in these streets:  S.B. Cabahug, P. Burgos, A. del Rosario and F. Cabahug.

READ: One-way vehicle traffic in 4 Mandaue roads starts Wednesday

The tricky details of navigating traffic in Mandaue city, whose roads are already congested due to nine simultaneous major road-drainage repair projects by the Department of Public Works and

Highways (DPWH), require motorists and passengers to study the changes well and plan their trips in advance.

“Just follow the signs on the roads,”was Paler’s advice to the riding public.

Heavier than usual traffic has spilled over to the adjoining cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu and Talisay.

READ: Mandaue to start traffic experiment this August | Save trees or ease traffic?

Local organizers of the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings agreed on Friday to recommend to the President the declaration of non-working holidays on key dates in August and September to lighten the volume of people and vehicles on the road.

The specific dates have not been set yet.

Officers of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI) were earlier briefed about the intensifying traffic by the mayor, who also asked for their suggestions.

Donato C. Busa, newly elected chamber president, said key businessmen and stakeholders met with Mandaue city officials last week to discuss the worsening situation.

“The business sector was appraised. We have been briefed by the mayor and Architect Nimor, (Mandaue planning officer)” said Busa, owner of DMC Busa Printers. Not just business operators, but everyone in Mandaue city, is badly affected, he said.

Philip Tan, president and CEO of Wellmade Motors and Development Corporation,  said people typically waste 2 to 3 hours stuck in traffic everyday, making it even worse than Manila’s times.

His own business operation has suffered, he said, when asked about the impact.

“Poor productivity in our operation has cost millions of pesos in terms of delays, and waste of time and fuel,” he said.

But Busa said the public would have to bear it for some time because of multiple road rehabilitation projects popping up in the city.

“The Philippine government gave 1 billion pesos to DPWH for Mandaue. This has a big impact because suddenly there is construction all around Mandaue,” he said.  He said the Department of

Works and Highways or DPWH allotted a budget of 1billion pesos for Mandaue projects for road maintenance, road construction and infrastructure. Another P1 billion is allotted for 2016 for other infrastructure projects in Mandaue.

This is bigger than the budget given to other cities within the Cebu province, he said. Asked why the road projects were not staggered to reduce the impact, Busa said unused money from the fund would revert to the national government.

“Construction is better. DPWH is working hard,” he added.  Mayor Cortes, who previously met with DPWH, appealed to the agency to fast-track work as many projects  have been delayed.  One example is the delay in rehabilitation of AS Fortuna Street. Busa said road repairs there were supposed to be finished last May, but are now extended until August. Peter Dy of PLD construction was present at the meeting to explain the delays faced by the construction companies.  Because of the magnitude of the projects, workers are spread thin. Busa said that Dy explained how construction crews  ended up working on multiple  projects  and had to jump from one road to another because of  lack of manpower.  Suggestions were made to do repair work at night but officials advised against this because this exposed workers to safety hazards.

“Let’s just bear with this for the time being,” Busa said in Cebuano.

During the meeting, the mayor also explained  how congestion was also due to the sheer volume of cars passing through Mandaue everyday.  With around 10,000 residents in Mandaue City, there are more than 380,000 cars passing everyday through Mandaue from Cebu and Lapu-Lapu alone, said the mayor. Busa said that traffic and car volume is a sign of a growing economy, of more people coming into Mandaue, and having spending power to purchase cars.  Busa said the business sector was happy with the traffic schemes suggested during the meeting, and are suggesting ideas to improve them.

“The mayor is very open to suggestions from the private sector,” he said. MCCI has also been very active in helping the government find solutions. One idea raised was to make the old Mandaue-Mactan bridge  exclusive for use of taxis and jeepneys, while the Fernan Bridge would be devoted to private vehicles and trucks.

This option is still being studied by the Mandaue city government.

Another suggestion was to reroute roads near Pacific Mall, which Busa said is one of the most congested areas as  four lanes converge into two lanes in that location.  Busa said the road repairs were a big inconvenience but should not be halted for the APEC Summit, as this would cause even more delays.

He said mayors of Cebu city, Talisay city and Mandaue agreed that any further delays caused by putting the projects on hold would not be good.

The goal is to finish them all by 2016.

What is left for people to do is just to be patient and bear with the traffic while repairs are going on, he said. The private sector should also work with the government and suggest ways to improve the situation.