Contractors of north costal road, plaza tunnel promise to finish projects this year

CEBU, Philippines – The P2.3-billion road project that cuts through Mandaue City and the towns of Consolacion and Liloan will be completed before the end of this year.

As this developed, the contractor of the segment 3B-2, Subway section of the Cebu South Coastal Road Project with a contract amount of P1.3 billion, also assured the completion of the project before the end of this year.

The contractors of the two big projects made the assurance when Presidential Management Staff chief Hermogenes Esperon inspected the projects yesterday.

Esperon said President Gloria Arroyo ordered to fast track the implementation of the two big projects in Cebu.

In a press briefing, Esperon said the contractor of the Cebu North Coastal Road Project, Ciriaco Construction, assured that the project will be completed before the end of this year.

The project started last December 10, 2008 and is scheduled to be completed by August 2010, but after Arroyo ordered them to move faster they said they will finish before the end of this year.

As of yesterday, the contractor reported that the project was 55 percent complete.

Representatives of Ciriaco Construction said they worked 24 hours a day on the project, although they admitted that the continuing rains may affect their pace.

Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes and Consolacion Mayor Avelino Gungob Sr. who accompanied Esperon during the ocular inspection said the completion of the project will benefit the city and Consolacion as it will solve the traffic congestion problem not only in Mandaue City but also in Consolacion.

Also known as the Mandaue-Consolacion-Liloan Project, the Cebu North Coastal Road Project was identified as one of the basic infrastructures needed in Metro Cebu by the 1994 Japan International Cooperation Agency-Assisted Cebu Integrated Area Development Masterplan Study.

After the ocular inspection of the Cebu North Coastal Road, Esperon and officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways also inspected the construction of the four-lane tunnel running underneath Plaza Independencia and exiting at McArthur Blvd.

Kajima Corp. project manager Hikunari Maeda told Esperon that they worked double time on the project.

The project started last June 28, 2008 and they expect to finish the project this November 25.

The P1.3 billion-project was declared 70 percent complete as of last May 25.

Maeda said that they introduced measures to complete the project as scheduled based on their contract.

Esperon said they asked the public and members of the media to help their office monitor these two projects. — Jose P. Sollano/BRP (THE FREEMAN)