Posts still obstruct traffic on Escario St.

CEBU, Philippines - Traffic authorities in Cebu City are worried that the electric posts that are still standing in the middle of Escario Street corner Gorordo Avenue will cause road accidents in the future.

The FREEMAN learned that the Visayan Electric Company (VECO) have removed their electrical connections from those poles, but its line men cannot remove the posts right away unless the other utility companies will remove their connections.

Mayor Michael Rama has given the concerned public utility companies an ultimatum until last July 1, to remove their poles and electrical connections so that the widened road can be converted to two-way.

“It’s both a hazard and an obstruction and I find it stupid that they are still there,” said Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem, chairman of the City Traffic Operations Management (CITOM).

CITOM’s executive officer Rafael Christopher Yap said they already asked the concerned public utility companies to remove their connections, but nothing happened.

“Actually we’ve already communicated numerous times to the utilities to remove the poles. Sa CITOM side, we’ve removed already the mast arm of our traffic light as per order of the mayor,” Yap said.

He added that CITOM have also asked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to remove the pedestal or the concrete base of the traffic lights’ mast arm.

For the last several days, the movement of vehicles along Gorordo Avenue and Escario Street has become risky and accident-prone after CITOM removed the traffic lights and did not assign personnel to man the traffic in the area.

The government has spent millions of pesos for the road right of way just to widen Escario Street from Archbishop Reyes Avenue, but the portion from Apitong Street to Gorordo Avenue still cannot be used for two-way traffic because of the poles.

“Dili man usab namo pwede nga pangibton ang karaan namo nga poste sa kuryente kay naa man gihapon ang mga wires sa ubang utility companies. Ang among wires diha dugay na nga gikuha namo, (We also cannot remove our old posts because the wires from other utility companies are still hanging. We have long since removed our wires there,” said VECO’s corporate communications manager Ethel Natera.

The contractor hired by the DPWH had already cemented the widened part of Escario Street across the Golden Peak Hotel, but the road still cannot be used for two-way traffic because of the poles that are in the middle of the road.  (FREEMAN)