By NITZ ARANCON, Correspondent  ROADS and Traffic Administration (RTA) enforcers found themselves helpless in preventing traffic jams from worsening as floodwaters from the Bitan-ag Creek rose as a result of a heavy downpour on late Tuesday afternoon. City hall’s Task Force Hapsay Dalan and the RTA blamed the traffic mess on the unfinished Bitan-ag Bridge project that, based on the original plan, should have been completed by the firm Jejors Construction in October. Nonito Oclarit, RTA chief, said the floodwaters prevented traffic enforcers from managing the vehicular traffic, leaving motorists on their own. “Nagsing-iya nalang sila ug pangitag dalan asa makalusot. Nawala na ang traffic rules tungod sa baha,” said Oclarit. Task Force Hapsay Dalan chairman Jose Edgardo Uy faulted the slow bridge construction work for the mess. “Ang maayo gyud ana, nga mapaspasan gyud unta kana ug trabaho ang Bitan-ag Bridge aron kon magbaha dili na ma-traffic kay mo-elevate na man ang dalan,” said Uy. MUDDY. Students and other passersby avoid the mud in crossing the road near the Mindanao University of Science and Technology (Must) in Lapasan following uesday’s downpour. (NITZ ARANCON)

MUDDY. Students and other passersby avoid the mud in crossing the road near the Mindanao University of Science and Technology (Must) in Lapasan following uesday’s downpour. (NITZ ARANCON)

The P60-million project, awarded to Jejors by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), was supposed to have been finished in Oct. 25, based on the original plan. But the construction work did not start in March 29 as planned because of a delay in the issuance of an executive order by Mayor Oscar Moreno. The executive order closed two lanes of that portion of CM Recto Avenue to vehicular traffic. Sandra Flores, DPWH spokesperson for Region 10, said, “Nadugay pod tingali ug recommend ang RTA  sa ilang traffic plan ngadto sa mayor, mao to nga nadugay pod ang mayor pag-issue sa Executive Order. Ma-oy rason nga wala dayon masugdi sa Jejors ang pagtrabaho sa maong tulay adtong March 29.” As a result, Flores said, the target completion date was moved to Nov. 23. Subsequently, the completion date was moved again to Feb. 16, 2016. Flores said the reason for this is because public utility companies such as the Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD), Cagayan Electric Power and Light Co. (Cepalco), Philippine Long Distance (PLDT), Misamis Oriental Telephone System (Misortel), among others, did not act immediately on the request for them to remove their lines. “Wala pa man sila mo-action sa among hangyo nila kay ila pa kunong ieport sa ilang  board for approval sa pagemove anang ilang mga tubo ug mga wirings sa ilawom anang maong dalan. Mao na ang naka dugang sa  kalangan ana nga proyekto,” Flores said. Hundreds of commuters were stranded and many motorists were caught in Tuesday’s traffic jams that started near the Limketkai Center. It caused a domino effect on the vehicular traffic flows in Divisoria, Cogon, Nazareth, Carmen, Patag, Bulua, Macabalan, Lapasan, Gusa, and a portion of JR Borja Extension. Oclarit, the RTA chief, said he was in Divisoria, supervising at 5 pm. Minutes later, the heavy rains came. By 6 pm, Oclarit said he found himself among the hundreds stranded in downtown Cagayan de Oro because most public jeepneys were caught in the traffic jams. Government weather specialist Luz Mercado said the heavy downpour had nothing to do with typhoon “Nona,” and it was caused by a “local thunderstorm.”