Don’t go to F. Llamas Street, motorists told

Half of the road leading to F. Llamas Street has to be closed to allow drainage repairs to continue. (CDN PHOTO/ LITO TECSON)

Motorists and commuters are advised to avoid F. Llamas Street in Cebu City due to ongoing drainage repairs in the area.

The Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) gave the go-signal to the project undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH-7) after it was suspended since late last year due to several events in the city.

CCTO Operations Chief Joy Tumulak said half of the road from the bridge at the corner of Cabarrubias St. until the corner of Tres de Abril St. has to be closed to allow work on the project.

“We approved it last week after we came out with a scheme to implement two-way traffic on the other half of the road,” Tumulak said.

DPWH Cebu City District Engr. Nicomedes Leonor said events like the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings and the International Eucharistic

Congress delayed work on the P45.5-million drainage project.

The project involves the installation of box culverts on the 400-meter road to mitigate flooding in the area. It is still less than 15 percent complete.

“It will partly solve the drainage problem in the area which reaches N. Bacalso Ave. Flood in the areas in Tagunol and Basak will also be lessened,” Leonor said.

Tumulak said they will divert traffic flow of jeepneys and cars passing by the area.

Those coming from Barangay Punta Princesa going to Barangay Tisa can’t go straight to the Tisa Barangay Hall.

Instead, they will have to turn right to Cabarrubias St. near the bridge and exit to Katipunan St.

Those coming from Katipunan St. won’t be allowed to turn left to Cabarrubias St.

They have to go straight to the corner near the Tisa Barangay Hall and go straight to Punta Princesa.

Tumulak said they expect the project to last for six months to one year.

“If motorists have no urgent reason going to the Tisa area, just avoid the project site. There will be slow flow of traffic there,” he said.

Tumulak said the drainage project is one of 23 DPWH projects that had to be halted due to the string of events starting late last year until early this year.

Three more road asphalting projects will also be allowed to resume this week, according to Tumulak.

One is the asphalting in V. Rama Ave. near the Forbes Bridge until corner C. Padilla St. and along M.J. Cuenco Ave. in Barangay Carreta.

Another asphalting project along P. Burgos St., just beside the Cebu City Hall, will also be implemented.

It will start from the corner of Osmeña Blvd. until the corner of M.C. Briones St.

“As for the rest of the projects, they haven’t been given go-signal yet. DPWH and the contractors are still complying with the necessary requirements like permits from CCTO, rerouting plans, and other permits,” Tumulak said.

Traffic congestion may be experienced in these areas as they resume works, but he said the CCTO will be deploying traffic enforcers to man traffic in the area.

Tumulak said another pending project is the asphalting of the road around the Fuente Osmeña Rotunda which has yet to be scheduled.