Proposed Cebu-Cordova link ‘will ease traffic in the south’

A third bridge across the Mactan channel is being proposed as a solution to worsening traffic in Metro Cebu.

It will bypass traffic in Cebu and Mandaue cities, open up the south to progress and cost less than expected.

Drawings and details of the concept were presented yesterday by architect Joseph Michael Espina in a press conference of the Movement for a Livable Cebu (MLC).

“We have to step up to contribute solutions,” said Espina, an urban planner and dean of the University of San Carlos College of Fine Arts and Architecture.

What makes the plan different is its special attention to heritage sites, parks, and smart engineering.

A park is situated below the approach of the bridge that starts in C. Padilla Street Extension in Cebu City, arches over the South Coastal Road and connects to Shell Island. From there a causeway will connect to Cordova town in Mactan island.

SHORTEST ROUTE

Because the link to Shell Island is “the shortest distance”, the cost of the superstructure of the bridge will not be as expensive as having a steel bridge span the entire Mactan channel.

The need for a third link between Cebu mainland and Mactan to cope with choking traffic has been raised for years by government officials, but no specific design or route has ever been set yet.

Espina, a volunteer in the MLC, worked on the design with USC architecture students.

He was one of the original urban planners in the 1980 Metro Cebu Land Use Transportation Study (MCLUTS) which laid the groundwork for major road networks and infrastructure used in Cebu today, including the second Mandaue-Mactan bridge.

Marc Canton, lead convenor of MLC, said the concept behind the third bridge is “one of the first strategic solutions” being offered by the citizens group to answer growing traffic congestion.

The MLC was formed two years ago to oppose the rise of new flyovers in the inner city, but has since expanded its mission to promote a sustainable, quality of life in Cebu City and its neighboring areas.

“Now this is a flyover I can live with. It’s well planned and has a real purpose,” said Canton of the proposed design.

Not only will the bridge ease traffic in south Cebu, including Talisay city, he said, it will increase economic activity in poor communities around the South Road Properties, and give honor to historic Tres de Abril Street (also known as C. Padilla Street), where over 1,000 Katipuneros fought for independence in 1898 if a monument is built there.

LESS COST

The bridge approach will have a 5 percent slope while the bridge itself can be 50 meters tall or high enough for ships to pass under, said Espina.

To reduce costly road right of way acquisition, Espina said the approach can go above the Guadalupe River so private land doesn’t have to be bought out.

Espina said the cost of building the bridge would be less than the two existing Mandaue-Mactan bridges because the longer causeway to Cordova can be built on stilts over the shallow portion of the channel .

No ballpark cost estimate has been made yet for the entire six-kilometer link.

However, Canton said it would cost much less than the Trans-axial Highway proposed by the late vice governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr. and former governor Emilio Osmena as a north-south Cebu backbone, which he said was estimated at P55 billion or a little over $1 billion three years ago.

The immediate concern is to “build awareness” about the third bridge and “get support” for it, including funding from government or private investors, said Canton.

SEVEN BENEFITS

Seven benefits were cited by Espina in his concept of a third Cebu-Mactan bridge.

First, it is economical because of the route, “the shortest distance” to Shell Island.

Second, it decongests traffic in Cebu city by allowing vehicles from the south to reach Mactan, avoiding traffic in the inner city and Mandaue city altogether.

Third, it disperses traffic in south Cebu because the access road in C. Padilla would connect to V. Rama Avenue, an arterial road, that links to major streets of Colon, Natalio Bacalso, P. del Rosario, B. Rodriguez, Escario, then to Quijada Streets.

Fourth, a park can be built under the approach on Tres de Abril Street to link with south Colon Street to Carbon market. This would close the loop in defining the heritage district (Parian) in the city center.

“We will not do anything to destroy our heritage structures. We want to improve the livability of Cebu City,” said Canton.

In other circles, earlier discussions for a third Cebu-Mactan bridge had the design start near Plaza Independencia, putting at risk Fort San Pedro and the old Customs House (now Malacañang sa Sugbo).

Fifth, the bridge would open access to depressed communities surrounding the South Road Properties through road links so that progress “trickles down”.

Sixth, a third bridge would help develop Lapu-Lapu city and Cordova town.

Last, Espina said the project would be an opportunity to build a gateway and monument for 2021, the 500th anniversary of Cebu as the “Cradle of Christianity” in Asia.

To fund the project, Canton said private investors are an option with help from members in civil society.

“If we leave it to the government alone, they can’t do it. They need our help,” Canton said.

The organization also said that they still can’t determine the estimated cost and how long the building of the bridge would take./With Eileen G. Mangubat