With barely a week to go before the scheduled February 1 start of the construction of the overpass in Banilad, the Department of Public Works and Highways has at last decided to rehabilitate the identified alternative routes.
Rep. Raul V. del Mar, the proponent of the project, is optimistic that everything will push through as scheduled despite protestations from several sectors.
Del Mar said that unless there is a formal request to delay the implementation of the project, it will start this Friday.
Starting Monday, the City Traffic Operations and Management (CITOM) would also be holding a dry-run of the odd-even scheme and the rerouting between 2 to 3 p.m. until Thursday to check for possible problems.
WTG Construction and Development Corp., which won the contract with a P86.9 million bid, said that it can finish the project in six months instead of 10.
Odd-Even Scheme
Authorities are bracing for a severe traffic build up as only two of the six lanes now being used would be opened to traffic once construction starts. This means only one lane will be opened for the north-bound vehicles and another for those headed to the city.
The proposed odd-even scheme is meant to lessen the volume of private vehicles and taxicabs that would pass the area.
CITOM executive officer Arnel Tancinco explained this means that those vehicles with plates ending in odd numbers can pass the area only on odd dates while those with plates ending in even numbers can pass on even dates.
On the other hand, the PUJs would also be divided according to their routes. The 13C PUJs are only allowed to pass on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays while the 13B, 62B, 62C and 65B are allowed to pass on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Tancinco said that they have also proposed that light vehicles would use the road that goes through the Cebu Memorial Park (Cempark) during certain hours.
The traffic authority is however still going to ask for approval from the management of the cemetery.
Many residents and businessmen in Banilad are however opposed to the odd-even scheme, saying it would be very unfair to them especially to those who have only one car and those who have kids who are in school.
Rep. del Mar has advised car owners to use the other routes on their way to Canduman and Cabangcalan, Mandaue City.
“They can still run using the detour identified by CITOM. They have an option, they can pass on the main highway or they may directly go to Plaridel then to reclamation area,” del Mar said.
Del Mar, officials of the DPWH, CITOM and Land Transportation Office had a final meeting and briefing on the Banilad flyover at the office of Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday.
Residents and businessmen in Banilad have earlier asked if the DPWH could defer the construction of the project until such time that all the arterial roads identified by CITOM as access roads are ready.
But Engr. Nicomedes Leonor, head of the Cebu City engineering district of the DPWH said that they started the repairs and improvements of these roads last night. He also assured that they would finish the rehabilitation of these roads before the construction starts.
Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem, chairman of the City Council Committee on Transportation, Communications and Utilities, said that the DPWH is tasked to do the rehabilitation of the identified access roads.
Last Dec. 12, the CITOM board issued a resolution directing the DPWH to prepare first the whole stretch of Floremer St. and portions of P. Remedio St., Hernan Cortes St., and J. Panis St., which would be used alternative routes, prior the construction of the flyover project.
Tancinco said that M.L. Quezon and F. Cabahug Streets should be cleared of illegally parked vehicles and sidewalk vendors.
CITOM also proposed to send additional personnel to Mandaue to help manage the traffic there that would be caused by the rerouting.
Meanwhile, Mayor Osmeña, who is not very optimistic that the odd-even scheme will be successful, said his proposal to implement ban on private cars will stay as a back up plan in event the odd-even scheme does not work.
He said that he was proven right when findings showed that 85 percent of the vehicles passing in Banilad are privately-owned and only 15 percent are public utility vehicles.
However, Osmeña said that the 85 percent of the traffic is only used by 25 percent of the people because the 15 percent PUJs are transporting 75 percent of the passengers.
“So if we ban the private cars, we only penalize the 25 percent, who can still use the jeepneys,” he said.
But for now, the mayor said that the city will support the odd-even scheme. “We have to find tune it (odd-even scheme) and if it does not work, then we will shift (to ban private cars). But when that be, I don’t know.” – (/NLQ)