■ CAPITOL FINDS A WAY TO ADDRESS TRAFFIC ON THE BRIDGE DURING ACCIDENTS

Following an accident that stalled traffic on the Marcelo Fernan Bridge for hours last May 28, a Capitol official proposed to establish a zipper lane on both bridges and on U.N. Ave. in Mandaue City.. Jonathan Tumulak, the Province’s focal person for traffic management, says portions of the concrete center island need to be opened when an accident happens so that motorists can switch to the other lane to avoid getting stranded. While they recognize the need for a zipper lane, the Department of Public Works and Highways 7 said it still has to review Capitol’s request.

An accident that stalled traffic on the Marcelo Fernan Bridge for three hours last May 28 prompted a Capitol official to request DPWH for a zipper lane on both bridges and on U.N. Avenue.

The Provincial Government requested the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to establish zipper lanes in the two Mandaue-Mactan bridges and on the United Nations Ave. in Mandaue City to help ease the traffic flow in the event of an accident.

Engr. Eda de Guzman, maintenance section head of the DPWH 7’s 6th District Engineering Office, said they still have to review the request from the Capitol.

“But even within DPWH, that has already been proposed, to establish a zipper lane so that when an accident causes heavy traffic, we can open the center island to let the vehicles pass on the other lane,” de Guzman told Superbalita Cebu after the Mactan-Cebu Bridge Management Board meeting at the Capitol last week.

Jonathan Tumulak, the Province’s focal person on traffic management, said the zipper lanes will be useful when traffic builds up as a result of a vehicular accident on the bridge.

“If there is no zipper lane or if we don’t open the center island, what happens is that emergency vehicles will not be able to pass through. So maybe we can install a temporary barricade, perhaps metal poles that can be attached to the ground and can be detached during an accident to let vehicles use the other lane,” Tumulak said in Bisaya.

The zipper lane was proposed after the May 28 accident at the foot of the Marcelo Fernan Bridge that involved 11 vehicles. Traffic was stalled for three hours after a cargo container lost its brakes and rammed several vehicles.

Aside from the bridges, Tumulak said there is also a need for a zipper lane on the viaduct of the South Road Properties in Cebu City.

He said that if a vehicle breaks down on the viaduct or an accident occurs, motorists will be stranded unless a zipper lane is in place.