Underpass works to start Aug. 8

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 7 rescheduled the start of the construction of the multi-million peso underpass project on N. Bacalso Ave. on Aug. 8.

Engr. Roy dela Cruz, project engineer of DPWH 7, said that instead of today, they will start the project next week.

The new schedule was already coordinated with the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO), he said.

The CCTO will supervise traffic in the area where the project will start since a portion of N. Bacalso Ave. will not be accessible to all vehicles.

Instead of doing phase 1 of the project, dela Cruz said they’ve decided to start the works on the portion of N. Bacalso Ave., particularly on the Cebu City-bound lane near a supermarket.

CCTO Operations Chief Francisco Ouano said they need more time to prepare before a portion of the road will be closed.

“We have to widely disseminate the re-routing plan and install traffic signs to guide drivers, that’s why we agreed to start the implementation of the project next week,” Ouano said.

By next week, he said, maintenance works of the access roads, which were identified as alternative routes for those drivers who used to use the closed portion of N. Bacalso Ave. will be completed.

Mayor Tomas Osmeña, for his part, said he was already informed that implementation of the project will happen anytime this month.

Osmeña said all types of vehicles can freely access the Cebu South Coastal Road.

“I never ban anything, I don’t even know why they’re not using it. It was put there for public vehicles, not private,” he said.

The project was supposed to start after the two traffic rerouting dry runs that were scheduled in early June.

However, the second day of the dry run did not push through because of the conditions that the CCTO required DPWH 7. It was noted that the state of the alternative roads caused delay in the travel time of the drivers. /