Zuellig Avenue to serve as diversion road

CEBU, Philippines — Motorists will no longer be allowed to park along Zuellig Avenue as this area will be used as diversion road once the road repair of the Ouano Avenue starts this week, said Mandaue City Mayor Gabriel Luigi Quisumbing.

The personnel from the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM) will strictly enforce the no parking zone and will apprehend those who will defy this order, Quisumbing said.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) allotted P223.707 million for the redevelopment of Ouano Avenue.

The project has six phases to be completed in one year.

The first phase will start on February 27, which is set to be completed within three months.

"This first phase is going to take three months. The project as a whole is going to take about a year because they have to do it stretch by stretch. Otherwise, if they will do it all in one task, it's going to be unmanageable," Quisumbing said.

The first phase of the road repair will be near Mahiga Creek up to the corner of Mantawi Drive.

This will cover 640 meters of the Ouano Avenue which has a total length of about 1.9 kilometers.

Since potholes are among the factors of the delays of traffic flow, Quisumbing said the whole stretch of Zuellig road is already patched with asphalt.

“We anticipate that traffic and the volume of vehicles is going to be quite bad. We want to make sure that there will not be any additional traffic caused by bad road conditions,” Quisumbing said.

Zuellig Avenue is found at the back of Jollibee, S & R, Cebu Doctors University, and Adnama Building.

The eco-wardens from the city government will monitor the asphalt in Zuellig Avenue since this kind of construction material has a short life span.

In earlier reports, the public has complained about the uneven road surface of the area that has clouds of dust and heavy traffic flow.

By the time the repairs will start this week, Glenn Antigua, chief of operations of TEAM, said three lanes of the Ouano Avenue will be closed while the right-most lane will be opened for light vehicles coming from Cebu City.

Based on the TEAM's traffic plan, trucks will have to turn right to Zuellig Avenue once they have passed by the Mahiga Creek then will take a left turn to Mantawi Drive and then another right turn back to Ouano Avenue.

At least 39 establishments are found on Ouano Avenue which includes Bai Hotel and Parkmall.

According to Antigua, the business establishments in the area have come up with a traffic plan so that they will not be affected by the road repair.

Quisumbing, however, appeals to the public to understand the situation as this will result in better roads.

“Ang after effect sa paghuman sa pag-concrete and re-paving sa Ouano Avenue would mean better conditions sa Ouano Avenue for the next 10 to 15 years. It will be a really tremendous help,” Quisumbing said.  (FREEMAN)