More flyovers seen in Baguio City
By Vincent Cabreza
Northern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 20:19:00 01/10/2008
BAGUIO CITY—The worsening traffic problem here has moved the city government to consider building new flyovers and an underpass that could compromise its conservation projects for Baguio’s centennial celebration next year.
Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. informed city officials this week about plans to build a new flyover, pedestrian overpasses and an underground vehicular tunnel near the City Hall.
Studies
Bautista said studies have been commissioned to help the city government design an appropriate underground tunnel in a road behind City Hall.
At least three other major traffic intersections are being considered to host flyovers, he said.
A controversial flyover project that proposes to ease traffic and which passes through Kennon Road and Marcos Highway is set to open this month, after being delayed for years by protests from Baguio residents.
Former Mayors Braulio Yaranon and Virginia de Guia objected to the Baguio flyover project because it relied on savings meant for the Marcos Highway modernization project.
City employees tasked with enforcing Baguio’s conservation efforts said the new infrastructure projects could disrupt their work.
No foresight
Like most urbanizing communities in the country, Baguio’s roads were not designed for heavy volumes of traffic.
The Baguio report to the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives showed that over 23,000 vehicles travel through Baguio’s roads daily, which were designed in 1909 for a population of no more than 25,000 people.
The report also pointed out an oversupply of public utility jeeps servicing the city. The jeeps represent half of the volume of Baguio’s mass transport system.
Traffic management here is also hampered by broken traffic lights that have never been replaced.
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