Cebu north coastal road in peril

Business Mirror
Monday, 23 November 2009 19:59

THE contractor of the P2.36-billion Cebu North Coastal Road has asked to suspend the project a month after it is set to be completed after the national government failed to pay for its monthly accomplishment payments for the last four months, public-work officials said.

The highway, hinged on a 1.25-kilometer, four-lane offshore bridge over Cansaga Bay in Consolacion town north of Mandaue City, is the final half of the second north-south road corridor in Metro Cebu. The project was started in 2008 and has been targeted for completion by next month.



Nonito Labrador of the project management office of the government’s Metro Cebu Development Project, an attached agency of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), said contractor Ciriaco Corp. has already sent notice requesting to suspend their construction. The contractor has collectibles amounting to P283 million for their work in August, September and October this year.

“We are still waiting for the release of the money,” Labrador told the Infrastructure Development Committee of the Central Visayas Regional Development Council. “The contractor already sent a memorandum requesting to suspend construction; that is why it is a concern for us.”

Labrador said they are asking a total of P597 million in funds to cover the delayed accomplishment billings as well as the November bill. Managers said the project is already close to 90-percent completed.

The coastal road provides a faster link between the sea and airports to Liloan town, Danao City, and other northern towns of Cebu. Aside from the Cansaga Bridge, the project also requires the improvement and widening of an existing interior provincial road which will run from Consolacion town up to Liloan town.

The project complements the 12-kilometer Cebu South Coastal Road which also runs straight to Talisay City in the south.

Both projects are meant to bypass traffic-congested areas of the Cebu North and South Roads, increasing economic activities in Metro Cebu’s fringe towns. The Cebu North Coastal Road will start from UN Avenue near the Marcelo Fernan Bridge connecting the mainland to Mactan Island, straddles the coastlines of Mandaue City and town of Consolacion, and exits in Liloan town.

The South Coastal Road is funded by a loan from the Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC) while the North Coastal Road is funded by internal government funds.

Another probable cause for the north coastal road project’s delay is the still-stagnant agreement between the DPWH and the Cebu provincial government, which wants to take over the outlet road from the Cansaga Bay Bridge into Liloan town.

According to DPWH assistant regional director Jerome Deliosa, the draft agreement was returned to the regional office pending a certification from the Department of Budget and Management that the funds for road rehabilitation are available. The road portion, including civil works and right-of-way expenses, costs close to P359 million and is to be sourced from the National Disaster Coordinating Council.

Project managers said they estimate the road to be passable by December or January 2010.

In an earlier meeting of the committee, provincial engineer Eulogio Pelayre said Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia has already instructed his office to start widening the road from the bridge. Pelayre also reported that provincial and public-works engineers have already conducted a joint survey to determine the properties that will be hit by the road widening.

During the earlier meeting, DPWH assistant regional director Marlina Alvizo said only 25 percent of affected properties and structures have yet to be cleared.