City opens Ciudad road

CEBU, Philippines - To decongest traffic flow along Salinas Drive, the Cebu City government temporarily opened the access road at the Ciudad property in Barangay Apas.

This month-long, two-way traffic experiment started Friday and will end June 23.

“The special rerouting is Friday to Saturday 5 p.m. to  9 p.m. Ciudad is open all the time. No left turn lang going in or out from 7-9 in the morning and 4-7 in the evening,” City Traffic Operations Management (CITOM) chief  Rafael Yap said.

CITOM has decided to provide alternative route for motorists, especially those heading to and from upland Cebu City.

“This is to decongest Salinas by giving more exit and entry points. This will be opened for 30 days,” Yap told reporters.

Vehicles coming from Archbishop Reyes or Blessed Pope John II Avenue in Barangay Mabolo can now avoid the heavy traffic congestion near TESDA regional office corner by taking Governor M. Cuenco Avenue where the Ciudad property access road is opened.

Those heading for Lahug or Busay may turn left at the Ciudad property and exit in either Wilson Street near JY Square Mall on Salinas Drive or Pasteur Street leading to Veterans Drive in Lahug.

If the scheme does not work within a month, the access road will be closed again.

“We’ll do a count at the end of the experimental period to see if na reduce ang volume of vehicle along Salinas,” Yap added.

Two days since the start of the experiment, CITOM has not recorded any untoward incidents or complaints from motorists. -/LPM (FREEMAN)