The flyover on M.J. Cuenco Ave. was allowed to proceed after a traffic impact study showed it will improve traffic flow more than the Archbishop Reyes Ave.-Gorordo Ave. flyover would.
Officials of the DPWH central office presented to local stakeholders on Tuesday the results of the traffic impact study that started last December, following the strong opposition of some sectors against the proposed flyovers.
The DPWH Manila’s Project Monitoring Office (PMO) recommended that the proposed flyover project on M.J. Cuenco Ave. proceed, subject to road right-of-way acquisition and widening of both approaches.
In shelving the proposed flyover project on Gorordo Ave.-Archbishop Reyes Ave. intersection, DPWH said an alternative solution should be considered, preferably an underpass for both left turn to Gorordo and F. Sotto Drive.
DPWH said the road on both approaches of the proposed flyover near the Asilo Church should also be widened to accommodate two lanes per side, before any flyover or underpass is proposed.
Sun.Star Cebu tried to contact the proponent of both flyovers, Representative Rachel del Mar (Cebu City, north district), but text messages sent to her phone Tuesday night were not answered.
Representative Tomas Osmeña (south district) said he would not seek reconsideration on the deferment of the flyover near Asilo.
“The tunnel is OK with me. It’s going to cost almost double, though,” he said in a text message Tuesday night.
About P600 million has been set aside for the two flyover projects.
Osmena, former north district congressman Raul del Mar, City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) Executive Director Rafael Yap and officials from the Department of Budget and Management attended on Tuesday afternoon the presentation of the study’s findings and the DPWH regional office’s recommendations.
Representatives of the Movement for Livable Cebu, a group that wants alternatives to the flyovers, were also present.
Carmelito Tizon of the DPWH-PMO said the Traffic Impact Study was aimed at determining the present traffic characteristics of the selected intersections and what solutions would be appropriate.
DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson ordered the study when he issued a moratorium on flyover projects last year, following complaints of the Movement for Livable Cebu and Mayor Michael Rama and Citom.
As part of the study, the traffic situation at the Archbishop Reyes-Gorordo Ave. and Gen. Maxilom Ave.-M.J. Cuenco Ave. intersections was observed for 16 hours, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
During that period, 95,805 vehicles passed through the Gen. Maxilom Ave.-M.J. Cuenco Ave. intersection, with an average of 6.69 minutes waiting time before a vehicle gets to cross the intersection in the morning. In the afternoon, the delay is reduced to 4.9 minutes.
If the flyover is constructed, the delay will be further reduced to 1.92 minutes in the morning and 1.16 minutes in the afternoon, or a reduction of 71.3 percent and 76.3 percent, respectively.
The proposed flyover on Archbishop Reyes-Gorordo Ave. intersection pales in comparison in terms of impact.
With a traffic volume of 53,945 vehicles during the 16-hour period, the waiting time to cross is 16.21 minutes in the morning and 4.92 minutes in the afternoon.
With the flyover, the delay will be reduced to 14.2 minutes in the morning and 3.95 minutes in the afternoon, or a 12.5 percent and .97 percent reduction, respectively.
But with an underpass, the waiting time will be reduced to 1.39 minutes in the morning and .82 minute in the afternoon, or a reduction of 91.4 percent (14.82 minutes) in the morning and 83.3 percent (4.10 minutes) in the afternoon.
“That’s why they allowed the flyover on M.J. Cuenco to proceed, because it will have a more significant impact according to the study,” Citom’s Yap said. (LCR of Sun.Star Cebu)
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on June 27, 2012.
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