Banilad flyover work meets a “road block”

While the contractor of the Banilad flyover, WTG Construction, is aiming to finish the project by the end of July, there is some gloom over this project as another seeming delay looms.

Engr. Chris Semilla of WTG yesterday told the city council that the project is now in  a very critical period because expansion works at Governor Mariano Cuenco Avenue, especially in the Foodland junction, should already be started this month.

Semilla said expanding that area of the road is very important, because if not done, this would mean they would have to completely close that part of Gov. Mariano Cuenco Avenue to be able to work on the flyover.

Presently, only one lane is available for motorists to pass.

Semilla said they could not proceed with the expansion because there is yet no formal contract between the Department of Public Works and Highways and the owners of the properties that would be used as road right of way.

DPWH lawyer Agustinito Hermoso confirmed the absence of a formal contract between the agency and the owners of the properties even if the latter have reportedly expressed willingness to sell to the national government.

Hermoso said the property owners have already reportedly submitted the documents necessary to consummate the purchase and DPWH is reportedly in the process of going through the papers like establishing that the properties are indeed owned by them.

A factor that would cause delay, Hermoso admitted, is the procedure in government itself because the contract has to be approved by the DPWH regional director only after there is a certification that funds are available for payment of the properties to be purchased.

The P80 million from the Department of Budget and Management for the project would not be forwarded to the DPWH central office in Manila until next month.

Hermoso said it would also take some time for the money to be transmitted to the DPWH regional office here in Cebu.

The remaining P20 million will be released reportedly by the end of next month.

Semilla said it is important to start the expansion work as soon as possible because this would take a month to finish.

Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem said that despite verbal assurance from the property owners, WTG is reportedly not willing to run the risk of starting expansion works in the absence of official documents.

Nevertheless, Semilla told the council that WTG will start working on site 24 hours starting next week now that they are already focusing works on the columns.

The 390-meter flyover stretches from near the Banilad Town Centre down to the Llama Construction Building along Mariano Cuenco Avenue. The project would need 4,200 square meters for the road right of way alone.

POCKET LANES

Councilor Jakosalem has proposed the putting up of pocket lanes in several areas along the Banilad-Talamban corridor to help decongest traffic instead of a bus rapid transit system.

Jakosalem said yesterday that the planning office of the City Traffic Operations Management has already identified areas where 12 pocket lanes can be set up both on the north-bound and south bound lanes of Mariano Cuenco Avenue.

These pocket lanes will be where public utility jeepneys can load and unload passengers.

The councilor said that once the construction of the flyover in the area is finished, it would be ideal to build the pocket lanes to make the flow of traffic smoother, because the PUJs and even taxis can no longer stop and occupy the road which contribute to traffic congestion. 

After the CITOM has identified areas where possible pocket lanes would be built, the city would now identify who are the owners of these lots and negotiate with them about the plan. Most of these areas are vacant, he said.—  with Wenna Berondo/NLQ