Partial bridge closure for repairs set in April

The Department of Public Works and Highways in Central Visayas (DPWH 7) will partially close the  first Mandaue-Mactan Bridge next month to resume major repair works on the structure.

All concerns related to the project would have to be addressed by then, or the project will again be suspended, said Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 7 Regional Director Ador Canlas.

A meeting has been set for March 22 to finalize the date, thresh out the issues and allow stakeholders to prepare for the heavy traffic congestion that will ensue, Canlas said.

“As we committed, we will inform all stakeholders prior to the resumption of major works (and closure of the bridge),” he told Cebu Daily News at the sidelines of the joint meeting of the Regional Development Council and Regional Peace and Order Council in Central Visayas.

Concerns include the need to strengthen support for a major water pipeline, provide fastcraft and barge services between Cebu and Mactan to ease traffic congestion on land, and relocate the informal settlers living under the bridge for their safety.

Whether contractor Jegma Construction and Development Corp. will undertake the pipe support project of Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) alongside the bridge repair works will also be known on March 22, Canlas said.

Jegma, which won the P129-million contract to repair the bridge, is currently working on the sidewalks.

It is hoped that fastcraft operator Ocean Fast Ferries, Inc. would have deployed a vessel, OceanJet 11, as an alternative mode of transport for the Cebu-Mactan route by next month.

But Cebu Coast Guard Station Commander Agapito Bibat said OceanJet would not be able to operate by April 1 because the company was still modifying the floating platform at the Anton’s Wharf in Lapu-Lapu City to ensure passenger safety.

“Until now, wa pa nahuman ang ilang trabaho didto sa wharf (they haven’t completed work at the wharf),” Bibat said.  A second dry run for the OceanJet service between Pier 1 in Cebu City to Anton’s Wharf will be held as soon as the latter is ready.

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza, in a separate interview, said they were also rushing asphalt paving work on Kasamahan Wharf near General Milling Corp., which is being eyed as docking area for barges that will transport small vehicles from the Ouano Wharf in Mandaue.

Barge operators earlier approved the site, but expressed concern over the narrow road from the wharf to the highway.

As for container vans and big trucks, Radaza said the Philippine Navy is also willing to open the docking area of its base located in Barangay Looc.

“(After the dry run for passenger sea vehicles) we are now going into barging as well,” Radaza said. A dry run for barge services has not been discussed though.

Negotiations for the relocation of informal settlers underneath the bridge should have been completed by early April as well.

Tony Pet Juanico, head of the Housing and Urban Development Office of Mandaue City, said they had another consultation with the affected residents in Barangay Looc yesterday.

Among those invited to the meeting next week are representatives of the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, tourism and business sectors, traffic management bodies, the bridge management board, and the Cebu Port Authority.

DPWH closed one lane of the bridge on Feb. 8 to start repair works, creating monstrous traffic jams in the area as well as in the areas leading to the second Mandaue-Mactan Bridge.

The project was halted on Feb. 9 after MCWD said it needed to strengthen the support to a major pipeline attached to the bridge before repair works could be conducted.

The project involves the replacement of the dilapidated deck slabs, or the bridge’s main flooring. If repairs are undertaken round-the-clock, the project is expected to be completed by August this year.