Artist rendering of Cebu's Bus Rapid Transit system (Photo from Cebu City BRT Facebook)
MANILA – The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is eyeing the partial operability of one of the crucial segments of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (Cebu BRT) within the year as Secretary Arthur Tugade ordered round-the-clock construction work.
In a meeting in Cebu on Wednesday last week, Tugade said he wanted Package 1 of the Cebu BRT to be partially in operation this year to respond to the need for mobility amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
He ordered the Cebu BRT project management team and the other concerned transportation officials to implement a 24/7 construction work schedule, with three work shifts that will employ and generate jobs for more local residents of the province.
Tugade also stressed that the project contractor and personnel with key roles in the Cebu BRT project must be based in Cebu, and that 90 percent of the project’s total work force must be Cebuanos.
“While I’m addressing our program of projects, I am addressing the need of the economy and I’m addressing the requirements of the pandemic,” Tugade said.
“These are extraordinary times. They need extraordinary processes,” he added, stressing the need to generate more jobs for Cebu residents who were displaced from their livelihood by the pandemic.
Tugade also directed to fast track the procurement process and make sure that the project’s work schedule and timeline of completion will be aligned with the election ban next year.
In his meeting with the Cebu BRT project management team, Tugade was updated on the latest status of the project’s major components, particularly Package 1, which covers the 2.6-kilometer busway, with four stations, urban realm enhancement, and vital intersection improvements. Currently, Package 1 is already at the procurement stage.
The 13.2-kilometer bus rapid transit lane will traverse the South Road Properties (SRP) through Mambaling, up to IT Park, with 17 stations, two terminals, and one depot. Along with the BRT, there will be a 20.2-kilometer bus feeder system to run with mixed traffic, complemented with sidewalk bus stops/ shelters along the following routes: (i)Cebu IT Park-Talamban, (ii) Mambaling-Bulacao, and (iii) Talisay- SRP.
On its completion and once fully operational, the Cebu BRT aims to serve around 60,000 passengers daily.
Tugade said the Cebu BRT would improve passenger mobility along the project’s corridors. It will also provide an option that is swift, comfortable, cost-effective, efficient, and will generate fewer emissions that reduce both local and global pollution.
Meanwhile, in another meeting, Tugade discussed with Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino the progress of transport infrastructure projects in the region.
The two officials agreed on the need to fast-track critical transport infrastructure projects, including the Cebu BRT, to enable the region’s economy to recover amid the effects of the pandemic.
"We thank and appreciate the efforts of the DOTr to fast track the implementation of the various infrastructure projects here in the Visayas, especially the Cebu BRT, for they will be a great help to ease the transport concerns of our kababayans. Our office is willing to provide whatever assistance we may extend to ensure the expeditious completion of these crucial projects," Dino said.
Joining Tugade during the meeting on the Cebu BRT project were DOTr Undersecretary for Finance Garry De Guzman, Chief of Staff/Assistant Secretary for Procurement and Project Implementation Giovanni Lopez, BRT Project Head and Philippine Railway Institute Executive Director Undersecretary Anneli Lontoc, Assistant Secretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark Steven Pastor, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Chairman Martin Delgra III, Land Transportation Office Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante, and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Director General Jim Sydiongco. (PR)
