IDC wants Mandaue City underpass project deferred

CEBU, Philippines — The Infrastructure Development Committee (IDC) of the Regional Development Council-7 wants to defer the construction of the U.N. Avenue Depressed Structure or underpass at Plaridel St. in Mandaue City since the Department of Public Works and Highways and the project contractor have yet to come up with the needed traffic management plan.

IDC chairman Glenn Soco said during first quarter meeting yesterday that they are not against infrastructure projects but they have to ensure that the project is the real solution to the traffic problem.,"

Soco added that the construction of the underpass would take more than three years and yet until now, no traffic management plan was presented.

"Kay kung wala ni nga plano, basin unya makahatag ni og dakung problema sa publiko ug uban pang mga stakeholders nga ma apektuhan sa maong proyekto," Soco said. (If we don’t have this plan, this project might cause inconvenience to the public and stakeholders.)

Engr. Danilo Pasicaran, assistant planning head of DPWH-7, explained to the members of RDC-7 IDC that the P711-million underpass project is on its design stage and this will run until June of this year.

Pasicaran said that after the design, the civil works or the actual construction will commence.

DPWH officials said that they already have a traffic study on the project in 2010.

But Soco said that DPWH should not use the 2010 traffic study as times have changed and it has been eight years since the study was made.

Pasicaran assured that the construction will not start unless all issues are addressed and all design requirements are reviewed, deliberated and approved.

“The RDC Full Council will come up with a recommendation on this project," said Soco.

The RDC Full Council meeting will be held on Marso 16, 2017.

Other matters discussed during the meeting include various infrastructure projects for Central Visayas like the Cebu Cordova Link Expressway, Monorail System for Metro Cebu, updates and status of priority infrastructure projects for Central Visayas.

Various national offices in Cebu like the Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, National Irrigation Administration and DPWH also presented their respective projects and programs for 2019.

Jose Guardo Jr., chief operating officer of Philtram Transportation Consortium presented to the members of RDC-7 IDC the Monorail System for Metro Cebu, which according to him, is the answer to Metro Cebu's traffic.

Philtram is a builder of railways in China. (FREEMAN)