A month after a car crashed at dawn on the Banilad-Talamban flyover, its female driver, a former beauty titlist, is still in the hospital in serious condition.
After the accident, a gray concrete lane divider was painted with bright yellow and black stripes to alert other drivers who may not notice the hump at the foot of the bridge where the student’s Mazda hatchback hit, causing the car to flip over.
With road safety a key concern as more vehicles go on the road for trips during Holy Week, motorists need to keep in mind that Cebu City’s three other flyovers in Tesda, Ayala and Mambaling lack enough hazard signs and visible markings.
Starting today, CDN is running here photos of each flyover and the observations of a March 1 safety audit by the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) made after the Feb. 23 crash, a tragedy that resulted in the amputation of the lower leg of culinary student Carina Gajudo, a former Miss Mandaue pageant winner.
The riding public is encouraged to share their observations as well by e-mail to siloy98@gmail.com and text “Siloy is Watching” at 0915-5051878.
Some action has been taken to correct deficiencies noted by the Citom audit, mainly addressed to the Department of Public and Works and Highways (DPWH) which implemented the flyovers.
A week after the Citom inspection report was made, CDN spotted construction workers in orange DPWH uniforms doing work to extend the lane divider at the foot of the Ayala flyover along Gov. Cuenco Avenue in Cebu City.
“Regular maintenance on the road/traffic safety devices and upgrading of traffic safety measures should be done,” wrote Citom acting department head Rafael Yap in his report.
Meanwhile, Gajudo is still under close observation in the Intensive Care Unit of Perpetual Succor Hospital.
Gajudo’s friend and former beauty queen Ana Maris Igpit said she was worried about complications in the victim’s condition and plans to visit the 21-year-old culinary student today.
She said mutual friends had told her that Gajudo was about to be discharged, when she suffered a heart attack that sent her to the ICU. Details of her condition were not immediately available.
Gajudo and her Japanese boyfriend Junishi Kuribayashi were heading home from a night out with friends in one of the newest bars along Gov. Cuenco Avenue when the mishap occurred about 4 a.m.
She was thrown out of the car by the impact while the 19-year-old Japanese student who occupied the passenger seat was able to crawl out later with minor injuries. The lower part of Gajudo’s left leg was detached and was later found in the car.
Traffic police have been waiting for Gajudo to recover well enough to narrate what happened on the road. Based on an initial account by the boyfriend, they were heading home to Talamban and had crossed the flyover when Gajudo received a text message on her mobile phone. She decided to turn around to go back to the bar and drove back up the flyover in the Talamban approach.
While the Citom safety audit said there was ample street lighting along the length of the Banilad-Talamban flyover, there was no hazard sign at the foot of the structure or reflectorized markings.
Before the accident, black and white stripes on the concrete lane dividers at the foot were not visible in the evening.
“We hope DPWH responds by implementing some of our recommendations,” Yap told Cebu Daily News earlier.
At the Ayala flyover, CDN noted that asphalt humps were removed recently. The concrete lane divider is being extended to guide vehicles to use the lane. Reflectorized studs appear on top of the divider.
Work has been going on since last Thursday, a laborer told CDN.
A key recommendation in the Citom report was to apply reflectorized hazard paint of yellow and black stripes on the concrete dividers and curved walls, and add hazard signs.
Flyovers are implemented by the DPWH as national projects identified by the district congressman.
Only the Mambaling flyover has an approach painted with yellow and black stripes. The walls and lane dividers in the other flyovers are plain gray concrete. /Marian Z. Codilla, Senior Reporter