Residents howl over MJ Cuenco road survey

ANOTHER road survey will be made to prepare for road widening along M. J. Cuenco Avenue following complaints from families in Cebu City about whose land and how much would be taken.

Rep. Rachel del Mar of Cebu City’s north district said engineer Nicomedes Leonor of the Cebu City Engineering District was given two weeks to work on a new survey and give recommendations before a meeting to discuss the P180 million project.

The M. J. Cuenco road- widening project—which includes barangays Carreta, Hipodromo and Mabolo—is expected to affect some ancestral houses, old trees and a grotto among others.

Del Mar said the P180 million project to be done in addition to the P70 million widening project will be implemented on both sides of a flyover to be built along the intersection of General Maxilom and M. J. Cuenco Avenues.

“This (the road widening) is one of the preparations for the flyover project,” she said in a text message.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he supports road widening and a master plan but not a new flyover.

“If the master plans says that we need a flyover, then we will have the flyover,’ he said.

DPWH sent notices asking affected residents to voluntarily remove their structures in preparation for the road widening starting next month.

In a petition, residents said while they don’t oppose the project, they wanted DPWH to be fair about identifying who se land would be affected.

The road-widening will involve part of M. J. Cuenco Avenue from the corner of General Maxilom Avenue to the Mabolo parish church.

Residents complained that the first surveyors took a larger cut of properties on one oside of the road along the church.

They want DPWH to use the center of the road as base point in measuring what lots will be taken, and to spare old trees and heritage structures like ancestral homes./Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac