Mananga bridge repair: Traffic in south Cebu expected to worsen

CEBU, Philippines — The Department of Public Works and Highways-7 is advising the riding public to brace for heavy traffic in the south as the Mananga Bridge 3 in Talisay City will have a partial closure starting tomorrow until May 31.

Engineer Leslie Anthony Molina, DPWH-7 Second Engineering District head, said yesterday that only one and a half lane of the three lanes of the descending bridge will be closed this Friday starting 9 p.m.

Molina said the other one and a half lane will immediately be repaired once the other half is done.

Molina added that while the one and a half lane of the descending portion is repaired, trailers and heavy trucks are not allowed to use the bridge, but instead will pass the Mananga Bridge 3 (ascending from Cebu South bound to Minglanilla).

Molina explained that the ascending bridge has also three lanes but two lanes will be dedicated for the heavy trucks and trailers in going to Cebu City from 6 a.m. to 12 noon.

After 12 p.m., two lanes will be dedicated for the heavy trucks and trailers bound for Minglanilla.

Light vehicles can still pass through the Mananga Bridge 3 (descending) during the entire duration of the repairs.

Molina said that the ascending portion of the bridge would only take about three weeks to be replaced with the new expansion joints.

"Kinahanglan na gyud ayuhon ang expansion joints sa bridge kay dilapidated na gyud. Kay kung dili na nato ayuhon, kuyaw og mahugno especially daghan mga bug-at nga trucks ang moagi nganha," said Molina.

The Mananga Bridge 3 was constructed sometime in 2000 and, since then, the expansion joints were not repaired.  The DPWH-7 is expected to replace eight expansion joints in both the ascending and descending portions.

The cost of these expansion joints is around P53 million, Molina said.

South Coastal Road

Meanwhile, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña is not keen in allowing vehicles to make left turn into the center island of the Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR) saying it’s not safe for motorists.

“That’s not safe. CCTO (Cebu City Transportation Office) already said it’s not safe, daghan kaayong aksidente didto. I’m against increasing the danger…Simple kaayo. It’s not that I am against it because the council is standing that way. I want to make another way. No,” Osmeña said.

He said the CCTO decided to close it to vehicles to make a left turn after observing that a number of road accidents happened in the area.

Last Tuesday, the City Council officially requested CCTO after Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera sponsored the said resolution in order to ease the traffic in the south district caused by the ongoing construction of P700-million underpass project along N. Bacalso Ave. and F. Llamas Street.

Pesquera saw the need to draft the legislation saying alternative route for vehicles can help address the current traffic condition in the south district.

She has a personal experience on the horrendous traffic in the south, since she lives in Barangay Kinasang-an.

CCTO Operations Chief Francisco “Isko” Ouano, in an interview, concurs with the mayor, saying it is an identified accident prone area.

“No, dili gyud puwede…Sila dili  man gud na sila hands on, kami hands on mi. Makita namo ang sitwasyon unsa’y angay, among giingan ang mayor daghan kaayong disgrasya,” Ouano told The FREEMAN.

It was after the Sinulog this year that they started to enforce the no left turn policy in the area.

Based on Ouano’s assessment, lesser vehicular accidents happened since they did not allow the vehicles to make left turn.

“Dili mi kahatag, normally the time nga gi-closed nato, na-lessen siya kay ang mga sakyanan, dili na mohunong, go straight na,” he said.

Further, Ouano said the traffic condition along N.Bacalso Avenue is light to moderate situation at present saying it is considered manageable. — GAN (FREEMAN)