BRT consultant working on engineering design

CEBU, Philippines — The Technical Support Consultant (TSC) of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit project is now reviewing the specific details in the alignment needed to complete the Detailed Engineering Design (DED).

While there are critics of the project, Cebu City Administrator Nigel Paul Villarete said the works of the TSC is very commendable because of how fast and efficient the consultant is.

“The work done by the TSC is very commendable and they are fast.  If we had them in 2016 when their contract was actually ready for negotiations, we would have been almost finished with the construction by now, and we would have had a running BRT commercial operations next year,” he told The FREEMAN.

The present administration has designated Villarete to oversee the implementation of the BRT project, which is seen to improve the public transportation in the city.

With pace of the TSC works, Villarete said Cebuanos can expect to have an operational BRT system by middle of 2022.

Last year’s survey showed that Cebuanos agreed to the project as it got an approval rating of 72 percent, despite criticisms that the project is a “disaster” for Cebu.

“It is unfortunate that things happened as they did, winding up at its worse when the project was threatened to be cancelled last year, because certain people called it a disaster for Cebu.  Fortunately, the NEDA – Investment Coordinating Committee (ICC) rejected the attempted cancellation and ordered it to continue,” he added.

Since the consultant is now reviewing and evaluating the specific details, Villarete said it is also studying the additional alignment for package 1 of the project.

Originally, the alignment is from South Road Properties to Ayala but there are proposals to extend the alignment up to the I.T. Park which is being studied by the proponents.

“The details mean that they need to look into the actual operations of the buses – where they turn, how they interact with the other traffic flows and other vehicles, most especially at intersections,” he said.

Villarete said the TSC needs to study the details especially in the intersections of SRP, F. Vestil-N. Bacalso, Escario St-Gorordo Ave., and Escario Ext.-Archbishop Reyes Ave.-Mindanao Avenue, as these will form part of the final drawings of the DED which is expected to be completed before the year ends.

To recall, the TSC’s contract took almost two years to get signed because of some recommendations to cancel the project because the roads in Cebu City are too narrow.

“We are glad and we hope this will proceed smoothly till the end. Clearly, the people need this and want this, but many things can happen, especially as there are people who clearly wants this derailed,” he said.

The DED might be completed within eight months or more.

All activities of the BRT project will depend on the result of the upcoming elections because there are candidates who support the project and there are those who call it a disaster for Cebu, Villarete said. (FREEMAN)