OPENING the Rio de Oro Boulevard to traffic requires further study by City Hall as far as the traffic situation in the surrounding areas is concerned, the chairman of the Boulevard technical working group said this morning.
“Actually the (Rio de Oro Boulevard) cannot be opened (immediately) to traffic—and we in the group talked it over with the Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA)—we need to first study the traffic situation in the surrounding areas. Let’s say if we open it now when the traffic reaches JR Borja-Burgos when the vehicles reach that area, traffic congestion will worsen there,” said Edgardo Uy, chairman of the technical working group, in Visayan.
During a press briefing hosted by the City Information Office on Monday, Atty. Uy said they need to study what measures to take in conducting traffic in the JR Borja-Burgos site and in the lateral roads and areas like Capistrano and Tiano Streets.
“But we cannot open the Rio de Oro Boulevard to general traffic for now just yet,” Uy said in Visayan.
The Rio de Oro Boulevard forms part of Phase 2 of the Flood Risk Management Project for the Cagayan de Oro River (FRIMP-CDOR) project.
For now, City Hall is only allowing bicycle and e-bike riders to pass through the boulevard along with emergency vehicles like ambulances, police cars, small fire trucks, and disaster response vehicles.
A bike trail will be set up along the stretch facing the river while benches will be set up in strategic areas.
Aside from the boulevard, Phase 2 also included a 3.2-kilometer river wall, a bridge, and a drainage system.
“The Rio de Boulevard is one of three (in relation to the city’s flood control project)….(conversely) if we allow vehicles to use the (nearby) Puntod-Kauswagan bridge, we may also encounter problems,” Uy said.
Uy said the city may need a rotunda to decongest any traffic buildup there.
“But the problem lies in the JR Borja-Burgos area. If we allow vehicles to pass through the boulevard it will cause traffic congestion. Even without the boulevard, the traffic there in the JR Borja-Burgos site is already congested,” Uy said, adding that blue guards or tourist police are set up to patrol the boulevard. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)
