Rep. Tomas Osmeña (Cebu City south district) said he plans to support the construction of a flyover next year at the South Road Property (SRP) access road leading to the city’s downtown area.
“We have the money to finance that flyover and it will be realized next year,” said Osmeña.
That would mean another overpass in Cebu City aside from two new flyovers sponsored by Rep. Rachel Marguerite “Cutie” del Mar, which Osmeña supports amid objections from Mayor Michael Rama, traffic managers and a new citizens anti-flyover movement.
Osmeña also challenged Rama to widen an unfinished road leading to the bridge connecting Guadalupe and Lahug.
The bridge is an alternate route for motorists when M. Velez and Escario Streets are congested.
Mayor Rama just laughed at Osmeña’s plan to build another flyover at the Mambaling access road of the SRP.
Instead of spending on a flyover, he said Osmeña should prioritize the widening of SRP roads, which he described as accident prone.
“In the future, what’s important there is road widening,” he said.
Rama said instead of blaming him for the unfinished road in Guadalupe, Rep. Osmeña should explain what happened to the project since this was made during his administration as mayor.
The mayor said he could not understand why the bridge was connected to a dirt road, which curves to the right. He said the project design was dangerous for motorists.
Osmeña, however, said the Guadalupe bridge remained unattended since Rama became Mayor.
“Why can’t he fix and widen it first before becoming an overnight advocate for widening and against the flyovers?” he said.
The road that leads to the bridge was damaged by a landslide during the transition period of Osmeña and Rama.
“I asked that bridge from Del Mar and he gave the bridge about two years ago. The bridge is now okay. I even passed there before the landslide,” he said.
Osmeña said the bridge cost P20 million and would need P1 million to fix it.
“But still he can’t fix it because he is very busy with his Pasko sa V. Rama,” Osmeña said.
Anday Borres, head of the barangay affairs office, said that he and city engineer Kenneth Carmelita Enriquez already visited the site on Sept. 5.
Borres said repair for the bridge’s damaged riprap was already due for bidding, and once this was awarded, the repair would start.
Rama said he had the bridge’s riprap checked earlier because he was afraid that accidents might happen in the area and vehicles using the bridge might fall into the river below, if the riprap wasn’t reinforced.