Where’s the shortest Cebu-Toledo link?

The shortest distance between two points, is always, a straight line. In the construction of infrastructure projects, however, we may corrupt this theorem in Geometry by saying that such shortest distance is necessarily not the circuitous way. If you find this proposition rather skewed and difficult to accept, just please charge it to my being neither an engineer by profession nor a mathematician.

Be that as it may, I had an occasion to refer to it about two years ago when I wrote on the link between Cebu and Toledo, I was talking of that road to connect these two cities thru Cebu's Barangay Bonbon and somewhere not far from Toledo's barangay Talavera on the western side of the island. I use Talavera as a point of reference because it is arguably a more popular place. The distance between the hearts of these two cities using this road it the project is completed, is about 45 kilometers.

Available for use at present are three connections. It is worth comparing their distances. First: We can go to Toledo City by traveling 66 kilometers through the trans-central highway. Second: we can access Toledo using the Naga-Uling road, 59 kilometers; and third, we shall reach that city thru the old Manipis road traveling over 49 kilometers.

Quite unfortunately, the shortest link is still an uncompleted project. It has actually been commenced years ago with a wide concrete highway starting in Bonbon. This road worms its way few kilometers up to somewhere near barangay Sudlon where the government has abandoned it for one reason or another. Now, let us consider that from Cebu City hall, using the trans-central highway, to Bonbon, the distance is about 17 kilometers. Add to this the concrete road to Sudlon, we have a length of more than 20 kilometers.

On the other side of the island, and making the Toledo City Hall as jump-off point to where the planned connection is supposed to be made, the estimated length good road is some 10 kilometers. In other words, of the span of 45 kilometers, more than 2/3 is done. What is left is a length that is too near yet too far away.

When I wrote about it, our honorable Provincial Governor Gwendolyn Garcia reacted with infectious enthusiasm. For starters, she sent me a bouquet of flowers and some bars of chocolate as her way of expressing her thanks for my bringing up that issue. It was a very touching gesture but I was more upbeat on her word that she would have the matter looked into seriously.

I am sure the lady governor has not forgotten the project but I feel it is important to remind her that completing it shall bring a windfall of benefits. The many things she tackles everyday may have put tons of documents over this important artery. But, there is no doubt that, for one, making this road shall complement the efforts of the new management of Atlas mines to start its productive activities. Operational Atlas mines shall provide thousand of job opportunities and increases the capability of the city to deliver services to its people.

   This road, when completed, makes the traffic between the eastern and western sides of Cebu more efficient. On the part of travelers, it shall save gas and travel hours. Because in effect, it shall diffuse the volume of road users on the other links, it makes maintenance cost lesser.

Of course, there will be more unquantifiable benefits for everyone. But all of these will just have to wait for the final action of the governor. In chess we say: Your move, Madame Gwen.