The Cebu City Government should have covered all the bases regarding the implementation of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit system. It had more than two decades to prepare for any eventuality. So it really has no excuse.
That’s why I don’t understand City Councilor Rey Gealon, chairman of the Traffic Management and Coordination Committee, for hesitating to approve the installation of additional board-up at the intersection of P. del Rosario and Leon Kilat Streets so the contractor can continue work on the project.
He cited “traffic” as the primary reason why the committee did not immediately approve the contractor’s request.
Never mind the “observation” of motorists and pedestrians that only a few personnel and equipment are on the site. That’s beside the point.
I still believe the public was conditioned from day one to accept that this project would be delayed. Let’s face it. How many government projects in Cebu City have ever been completed on time? Please call me out if I’m wrong.
So the announcement in October that the target completion for Package 1 was moved from the end of this year to the first quarter of 2024 came as no surprise.
Duh!
Plus, the skywalk near Fuente Osmeña and the skywalk near the Cebu Normal University that the contractor wants removed because they hamper the work progress as well as affect the project’s design are still there.
But hey, at least all that brouhaha over ownership of the two structures is finally over. Right?
So where am I going with this?
If Councilor Gealon is worried about the traffic the installation of additional board-up at the intersection of P. del Rosario and Leon Kilat Streets will cause, then imagine the mayhem that will ensue when the City or whoever takes down the two skywalks.
It’s a no-brainer that the City will have to entirely close the area around the skywalks when they are dismantled.
At any rate, pedestrians and motorists will be at risk if the City pushes through with the undertaking.
After all, the Department of Public Works and Highways did such a great job of erecting the structures, which look to be very sturdy having survived several earthquakes and super typhoons almost unscathed. The agency deserves to be commended. Now if only it could build roads the same way, but hey, I may be asking too much.
Still, even if the City decides to close only a portion of Osmeña Blvd., which is already being done while civil works are ongoing, there will still be traffic.
Or, and it’s a big OR, the City can try dismantling the skywalks in one night. Preferably during the weekend when there are fewer cars and people on the road.
That would make sense, right? But when did sense ever come into the equation when implementing a government project?
Judging by past experience, the dismantling will probably take a week, at the very least. Again, I would like to be proven wrong.
But the bottom line is, the project will have to cross the intersection of P. del Rosario and Leon Kilat, and eventually the intersection of P. del Rosario and Osmeña Blvd. as well. Might as well mention the latter since it is bound to happen if the City wants the project to be completed. Also, the two skywalks will have to be removed.
Either way, there will be traffic.
So if I were Councilor Gealon, I would stop thinking about pogi points. A major project is being implemented in the middle of two of the city’s busiest thoroughfares, so of course the public will be inconvenienced. That was a given. So do what the contractor asks and get it over with.
In the meantime, motorists can unbuckle their seatbelts and chillax. Maybe they can take up a new hobby. What about crocheting?
Or they can ditch the car and walk.