2-year target for Cebu IITS

CEBU, Philippines —  Cebuanos may start making use of an Integrated Intermodal Transport System (IITS) in two years, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said yesterday.

The IITS will include a monorail, cable cars, and a Bus Rapid Transit system.

"We are working together for the partial operability of an Integrated Intermodal Transport System in the Province of Cebu. We are all committed in achieving that at the earliest, end of the fourth quarter of 2021," Tugade told reporters.

The Department of Transportation is the lead agency in the implementation of the IITS.

Yesterday, Tugade and Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino met with consultants for the IITS to discuss the timeline for the project’s implementation in Cebu.

They, together with World Bank representatives and local transport officials, also visited the site of the common station at the IT Park and other routes of the IITS.

Tugade said he expects the IITS project completed in two to three years after 2021.

"We want the people of Cebu to start experiencing the comfort of having an IITS. This is long overdue. The President has instructed us to make sure that the people of Cebu will enjoy the comfort of the IITS," Tugade said.

At this point, the IITS is on the detailed engineering stage. Tugade said they have given the consultant three months to submit the Detailed Engineering Design (DED) plan.

Tugade said they will have to refer to the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) the cost of the entire project.

DOTr Undersecretary Mark Richmond de Leon said earlier the agency will also put in place bikeways, intermodal terminals, park and drive facilities, and walkways as part of IITS.

"We are not looking for a single solution to address traffic congestion. As we all know, there is no single bullet for this problem of congestion. It should be a basket of solutions," De Leon had said.

Dino said he is optimistic that DOTr will endorse to NEDA’s Investment Coordination Committee for technical review its decision to grant original proponent status (OPS) to Udenna Infrastructure Corporation and the latter’s foreign partner.

In an earlier interview, Manuel Jamonir, vice president for operations of Udenna Infrastructure Corporation, said they will be constructing two monorails – the Central Line from Talisay City to Talamban, Cebu City and the Airport Line from Cebu City to the airport in Lapu-Lapu City in Mactan. The Airport Line will also traverse Mandaue City.

The two lines can reportedly carry 700,000 passengers a day. It has a combined cost of around P80 billion and will be implemented through a Private-Public-Partnership.

Jamonir said they opted for monorails here instead of a Light Rail Transit (LRT) because roads here are narrow. A monorail is also reportedly cheaper to maintain.

Meanwhile, Tugade and Dino have handpicked world renowned furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue to lead the design of the project’s brand and aesthetics and urban revitalization, as well as the design of the cycling lane, walkways, and common stations.

The whole stretch of Osmeña Boulevard – from the Capitol area to the Port Area, which is about three kilometers – will be part of the Urban Realm Revitalization Plan where bikeways, greenways, and dedicated lanes for the BRT will be installed.

A proponent of monorail transport, Dino said he is glad that the private sector is bullish in investing in a massive infrastructure project that aims to solve Metro Cebu's traffic problem. – JMO (FREEMAN)