BanTal widening now full scale

CEBU, Philippines -  Widening of the Banilad-Talamban corridor is in its “full-blown” implementation but the Department of Public Works and Highways assured vehicle traffic will not be affected by ongoing works.

DPWH Regional Director Ador Canlas announced yesterday that 1.6 kilometers of Governor Cuenco Avenue – from the Mahiga Bridge to Cabancalan Street – will be widened.

Of the P150,000 million budget for the widening project, P100 million is allocated for the road-right-of-way (RROW) acquisition and P50 million is for civil works.

The width of the street measures 12.97 meters and it will be widened to 13.4 meters, a drainage system included.

When finished, each lane of the four-lane street will measure 6.7 meters, the standard width for a national road. The sidewalk will measure 1.5 meters on each side.

Canlas said the demolition of some structures, including the portion of the fence of the University of San Carlos – Talamban Campus, is part of the widening project.

The Banilad-Talamban corridor road widening project aims to address “geographic congestion” or to speed up traffic flow in the area and restore having wide sidewalks.

Canlas recalled that the project was deferred due to “non-acquisition of RROW and no workable area” last February 21 to October 30, 2013.

Afraid that funds for the project would be reverted to the national coffers, DPWH resorted to filing expropriation cases against some property owners, considering that the project has to be started February 21, 2013. The agency then was able to obligate the funds.

“We opted for expropriation because we wanted to save the funds and we didn’t mean to harass the owners of the properties. If hindi naming na-appropriate wala na sana ang amount. At least na save natin ang pundo kahit hindi pa natin na-acquire ang properties,” Canlas said.

Cebu City North District Representative Raul Del Mar said, “We have to keep the money intact and work creatively not to revert it to the general fund because the widening has to be pursued knowing that we never done any widening in the area in the past. This serves as the third phase of widening in the north corridor.”

The suspension was lifted only after the issuance of the RROW Entry Permit to implement widening at the Del Rosario properties, which is 250 meters in length.

A suspension order No. 2, however, was issued last December 16 to July 27 last year after DPWH-7 failed to acquire over a hundred of affected properties along G. Cuenco Avenue.

AFFECTED

At least 157 VECO posts, 23 MCWD meters, 37 trees and 136 lots will be affected by the widening project, DPWH-7 Planning and Design Chief Nonie Paylado said.

Paylado said the 136 lots affected in the Banilad-Talamban area total 5,279 square meters and cost nearly P60 million. The acquisition cost is pegged at around P73 million.

With negotiations still ongoing, he said there might still be a chance that the cost would exceed the appropriated P100 million.

Also, he said around 11 properties under free patent will not receive payments from the lots.

“We are not paying for the lots but we will be paying for the improvements…we will not resort to file expropriation case against them but rather ‘enforcement to leave’ if ever they refused,” he said.

The BanTal Traffic Management Board headed by Bunny Pages will be negotiating with the owners of the 11 properties and address the loading and unloading base or jeepney pockets in the Banilad-Talamban area particularly near the USC-Talamban campus.

Furthermore, two pipes supplying around 9,000 cubic meters of water a day to the consumers will be affected by this development, Metropolitan Cebu Water District Production Division Head Rebecca Lagunzad-Husayan said.

Husayan pleaded yesterday to DPWH not to “condemn” their pipes as it supplies majority of MCWD’s concessioners.

“Muhangyo lang ko to find a way nga ma-compensate ang lose or redesign kay dako ni nga problema kay it’s like ang suplayan ani ang tibuok Mactan Island. Every pipe mawala, mu-suffer ang atong mga households,” she said.

DPWH and MCWD are set to inspect the pipes in preparation for the transferring of water meters. —/JMO (FREEMAN)