CEBU CITY—Heavy traffic is expected on the Marcelo Fernan Bridge, one of the two bridges that connect Mactan Island to mainland Cebu, starting May 2 when the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) starts repairing the two structures.
Engineer Santiago Suico, acting district engineer of the
DPWH’s Cebu sixth district engineering office, said his office has coordinated with the Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue city governments to implement measures to ease the discomfort that the repair work would bring motorists.
Suico said only half of the bridge would be closed to traffic. The other half would be open for two-way traffic, he said.
Suico said the repair work will focus on the expansion joints of the bridge. The repair will run for 150 days and will be done by the firm PBD Construction, which won the bidding.
The national government has allocated P25 million for the project.
The 1.2-kilometer bridge was built by the Kajima Sumimoto for P2.3 billion. It was funded through a loan obtained by the national government from the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund of Japan.
The Marcelo Fernan Bridge is one of the widest and longest bridges in the Philippines. It is also a key structure that provides access to Mactan Island, where the Mactan Cebu International Airport, the Mactan Economic Zones I and II and several beach resorts are located.
The 119-hectare Mactan Economic Zone I has at least 100 factories and offices. Mactan Island, which has a number of resorts, is one of the country’s top tourist destinations.