Underpass 76% complete

A year after the construction of the P638-million underpass project along N. Bacalso Avenue and corner F. Llamas Street started, the project is now about 76 percent complete, said Department of Public Works and Highways-7 Project Engineer Roy Dela Cruz.

He disclosed that they projected that both the south and northbound roads will be open to vehicles by December this year.

He, however, expected that the underpass project will be completed earlier than March 2019.

“Inig December, naa gihapo’y ongoing construction sa main underpass structure, bali ang middle lanes,” Dela Cruz said.

In fact, the contractor of the project, WT Construction Inc., has been doing the excavation of the center portion of the underpass.

At present, the contractor is almost done with the Phase 4 of the project.

Last July, they proceeded with the Phase 4, which is located near the shopping center located along N. Bacalso Avenue.

Because of this, Cabreros Street was no longer available since yesterday for southbound public utility jeepneys (PUJ) because the contractor will start putting bored piles in the northbound lane of N. Bacalso Avenue near the corner of Cabreros Street.

The Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) has implemented a traffic scheme for southbound PUJs, where all southbound jeepneys are advised to pass through Tagunol Street then to Gabuya Street.

In the afternoon, all southbound vehicles can access N. Bacalso Avenue and F. Llamas Street. In the morning, southbound lane of N. Bacalso is exclusive for northbound vehicles.

All northbound and southbound buses, minibuses and delivery trucks are directed to pass through the Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR).

CCTO Operations Chief Francisco "Isko" Ouano said that even with the minor change of the route, traffic flow was still "smooth.” —

Odessa O. Leyson/GAN