New traffic scheme eyed for Mandaue intersection

CEBU, Philippines — A new traffic scheme at the intersection of UN Avenue and MC Briones Street, near a mall in Mandaue City, is set to take effect next month.

This was confirmed after assistant city administrator Florentino Nimor, Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM) head Hyll Retuya, and project supplier Timothy Ong inspected the ongoing structural improvements at the intersection last Thursday.

In an interview with Retuya, it was revealed that the city has allocated ?9 million for the project, which aims to ease traffic congestion in the area.

The project is now anticipated to be completed by the third week of April, following a delay from the original February target due to heavy rainfall that disrupted the contractor’s work.

Retuya added that the new traffic scheme will likely be implemented after Holy Week to allow sufficient time for the road to settle before applying the asphalt overlay.

“Atong sa’ng anaron ang mga tao kay kani ra ba nausab ra ba g’yud,” Retuya said.

He mentioned that with the redesign and new improvements, the TEAM will deploy additional personnel, especially during its implementation.

One of the major changes involves relocating the pedestrian refuge island and the traffic light system to the side of the intersection.

Road concreting is currently in progress, followed by asphalt overlay and the installation of lane markings.

To enhance vehicle movement, the stop line at the intersection will be shifted farther back, creating additional space for larger vehicles to navigate more easily.

With the new traffic scheme, the southbound direction will be converted into four lanes --two heading toward Cebu City and two designated for left turns going to Lapu-Lapu City.

The lane currently functioning as a zipper lane will become a permanently dedicated lane to UN Avenue.

Meanwhile, the route for northbound vehicles will also be changed, as they will now use the bridge over the Butuanon River.

The bridge will now be used, as they described it as “underutilized” with two lanes. This will serve as the new route for northbound vehicles.

Retuya expressed optimism that these measures will reduce congestion at the intersection and enhance traffic flow.

“Mao g’yud ni ang atong gitan-aw nga makasulbad sa congestion diri ba. With this, ang imong habwa volume na ba,” he said.

To enhance and regulate the flow of traffic more effectively, concrete barriers will also be set up.

Another key aspect of the project is the implementation of an adaptive traffic light system. These intelligent signals, equipped with cameras, will analyze real-time road conditions and dynamically adjust signal timings based on traffic volume and congestion levels.

The system will also identify and count vehicles, transmitting the collected data to a central database to support the city’s traffic monitoring and planning efforts.

Retuya anticipates that once fully functional, the upgraded intersection and traffic control system will greatly enhance mobility and minimize congestion in one of Mandaue’s busiest roads.

The traffic head said that their next priority is to address other intersections that will receive vehicles coming from this intersection. — (FREEMAN)