To ease traffic woes U-turn slot near first bridge pushed

CEBU, Philippines - Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes has planned to put up a U-turn slot under the Mandaue-Mactan Bridge to eliminate the traffic bottleneck near the foot of the bridge.

The bottleneck is said to be the cause of too many complaints from motorists going to Lapu-Lapu City.

In a recent press conference, Cortes said in order to ease the traffic at the foot of the first bridge, a U-turn slot should be constructed under the bridge to be used by motorists who want to go to a nearby university, gas station and other establishments near the area.

At present, the area, especially near the University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue campus, does not have a U-turn slot.

Cortes already informed the DPWH of the plan during their recent meeting.

"Ang project is for 2016 pa. Naa ta’y gi-propose nga U-turn slot ilawom sa bridge," Cortes said.

The funds for this project will be included in the 2016 annual budget of the city, the mayor added.

"Bottleneck man gud na diha ubos sa bridge kay from pila ka lanes, mo-one lane na lang na padung sa taas, unya matiwasan pa gyud anang mang-left turn," Cortes further explained.

Earlier a motorist took to the social media his complaint on the “heavy traffic” in the area, hoping that the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue can eliminate the double lane leading towards the bridge and implement a single lane for a faster flow of traffic just like what Lapu-Lapu City is doing at the other end of the bridge.

Sought for his reaction, Retired Major Edwin Ermac, TEAM director, said they have already tried years back to implement a single lane leading towards the bridge to eliminate the bottleneck at the foot of the bridge.

But Ermac said it did not work for the city.

He explained that when they made an experiment, it was found out that the queue of vehicles wanting to use the bridge would reach up to A.C. Cortes and Plaridel Streets in Barangay Alang-Alang, consuming more of the motorists’ travel time.

Ermac further explained that if they implemented the single lane back, it will block some of the major thoroughfares of the city and cause the traffic congestion.

He added that if they will implement the single lane back in the city, they would need at least 10 to 15 traffic enforcers to man the area leading to the Marcelo Fernan Bridge, something which cannot be done due to the lack of personnel.

In addition, the traffic woes at the foot of the bridge are also being attributed to the problem on the public utility jeepneys.

“Kay bisan og dili pakanaugan og mga pasahero ang maong dapit, apan ila gyung buhaton,” Ermac said.

Ermac also said traffic also became worse in the area because of the ongoing road construction at corner Plaridel and Ouano Streets.

The construction would prompt motorists passing the Marcelo Fernan Bridge to instead use the other bridge. (FREEMAN)