Gusa junction new bottleneck
Vehicular traffic during peak hours at the Gusa junction of the newly-opened coastal bypass road in Barangay Gusa is expected to be heavy, a village chief said over the weekend.
Gusa barangay chairman Marlo Tabac said traffic is manageable in the morning but it becomes congested during peak hours in the afternoon, especially between 4 to 7 pm.
The coastal bypass road was opened for big trucks and private vehicles last Friday, November 10.
"Traffic is bumper to bumper during peak hours although it does not last long,” Tabac said.
Tabac said traffic jams starts at the Gusa barangay hall towards the national highway specifically at the overpass and intersection, and from the coastal road towards the boundary of barangay Lapasan.
Tabac said barangay becomes the bottleneck of all vehicles coming from the city proper.
He said traffic congestion seemed to have transferred from CM Recto Avenue to Barangay Gusa .
"Ang traffic karon is sa Gusa ra gyud dili makaapekto sa laing lugar. Sa wala pay coastal road ang traffic lapad kaayo og coverage (The traffic is only in Barangay Gusa and will not affect other areas. Without the coastal road, traffic congestion covers a wider stretch)," Tabac said.
The village chief said he will suggest to the Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA) and to the highway patrol group to deploy more personnel to help manage traffic from the coastal road to the national highway, including the installation of more traffic signs, traffic lights, and pedestrian overpasses.
Tabac would also urged the RTA to conduct a study on how to utilize the existing village roads connecting the coastal road.
Tabac said while it is still early , he said the solution to the traffic situation lies in extending the coastal road to Barangay Puerto.
“The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) should hasten the completion of the ongoing eastern Gusa interior road that connects to Barangay Cugman and the construction of the phase 3 of the coastal road from Gusa towards barangay Puerto,” he said.