Rama to lot owners: Donate for road widening

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama yesterday ordered traffic czar Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem to coordinate with owners of lands along the Banilad-Talamban Highway to convince them to donate portions of their properties for road widening.

The government needs billions of pesos for the road-right-of-way if it wides the five-kilometer, four-lane Governor Mariano Cuenco Avenue from barangay Banilad to barangay Talamban.

Rama hopes that owners of the properties along the highway, including the Province of Cebu, would help by donating portions of their lands for road expansion.

Although the Governor Mariano Cuenco Avenue is a four-lane road, it is often congested.

The City had suspended any new construction projects within the Banilad-Talamban area because of the traffic congestion problem.

Rama hinted that once the traffic problem in the Banilad-Talamban area is minimized through widening, the City might lift the suspension of development projects there. — (FREEMAN)