Officials in charge of the implementation of the long-overdue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Cebu City are set to break ground on the project on Feb. 27, 2023, and they will be led by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Roberto “Bo” Varquez, BRT focal person for Cebu City, told SunStar Cebu on Thursday, Feb. 16, that they chose Feb. 27 as the date of the groundbreaking since this is the only date that Marcos is available for this month.
Varquez, an engineer, said the contractor is now also finalizing all permits so it can now begin with the civil works of the project’s Package 1.
Package 1 will cover the route from the Cebu South Bus Terminal on N. Bacalso Ave. going to the Cebu Provincial Capitol via Osmeña Boulevard. It has a budget of P17.3 billion.
On Wednesday, Feb. 15, executives of the Hunan Road and Bridge Construction Group, the winning contractor of the BRT project, visited Mayor Michael Rama at the Cebu City Hall.
Engineering design
According to Varquez, the construction firm informed the mayor that it will be presenting the detailed engineering design and construction timeline to different City Hall departments.
In this manner, the Cebu City Government can be made aware of how the construction will be implemented, especially since Package 1 is situated on the city’s main thoroughfare.
Once all necessary permits are secured, the contractor also has the option to start the civil works ahead of the scheduled groundbreaking ceremony, said Varquez.
The contractor has been given 365 calendar days to accomplish Package 1.
Varquez said the main concern of the mayor is how the construction will affect the flow of traffic in the area under Package 1, especially since two lanes will be closed to traffic for the project.
But the contractor, according to Varquez, said they will be conducting the construction work per block so that the entire stretch of the road will not be closed to vehicular traffic.
Varquez also said the Cebu City Transportation Office has already conducted simulations to determine what traffic plan it will implement to prevent traffic jams while the construction for the BRT’s Package 1 is ongoing.
The heavy equipment that will be used in the construction will only be allowed from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., he added.
Varquez said the private contractor has been handling projects in the Philippines for about 10 years already, but it is its first time carrying out a project in Cebu. (IRT)
