FOLLOWING public complaints over the recent four-hour traffic congestion at the Puerto highway, City Hall will make preparations for the scheduled expansion of the Ysalina Bridge to be done by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
“There are plans by the DPWH to expand the Ysalina bridge to four lanes with one of them to be reserved for pedestrians and another to serve as a bicycle lane. That will entail a lot of preparation and work (not only from the DPWH but) from our end in order to minimize the inconvenience (on those passing through the area),” Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Rolando Uy said in Visayan.
Mayor Uy made the disclosure even as the DPWH had yet to confirm the actual date for the start of actual work on the bridge expansion project.
Uy said this as he acknowledged public complaints over the three to four-hour traffic congestion caused by the DPWH’s ongoing five-phase road expansion project at the national highway in Barangay Puerto.
Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA) chief Engr. Nonito Oclarit explained that the prolonged traffic congestion stemmed from the contractor’s decision to start work on the second lane of the highway which he said was not agreed on by their office.
The RTA had since deployed personnel to ease traffic movement in the area which also includes restricting traysikads and bao-baos from passing through the highway.
Mayor Uy cited the recent traffic congestion at Barangay Puerto as yet another example of why the DPWH should closely coordinate with City Hall in implementing their projects in Cagayan de Oro City.
The mayor also renewed his call to the City Council to pass legislation that will mandate the DPWH to work closely with the city government in their implementation of projects involving or affecting the city.
The 20th City Council is working on an ordinance to set up a City Hall infrastructure management board that will work with and mandate the DPWH along with contractors in coordinating with the city on their projects.
“There (are) so many projects and God forbid that city residents will experience more inconvenience (because of this),” Uy said in Visayan. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)
