Airport flow still normal despite bridge repair

DAY 2 of repairs in the Marcelo Fernan Bridge ended yesterday with minimal impact on airport and riverboat services.

There were no complaints of passengers missing their flights because of traffic delays on the bridge, said Mary Ann Dimabayao, public affairs divsion chief of the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority.

“Passengers already know the possibility of traffic congestion. That’s why they came early,” she said.

The Department of Public Works and Highways in Central Visayas (DPWH-7) has been advising the public to allot two hours for their travel to and from the airport due to the bridge repair, which will continue until Aug. 30.

Riverboats that ply Cebu City and Mactan have not experienced any upswing  in passengers.

“We added one more riverboat because we thought there would be an increase but we are wrong. Instead, the volume of passengers went down,” said Ricardo Asuncion, port supervisor of Metro Ferry Inc.

“When college classes open next week, we hope there will be an increase.”

Fatima Ucab, ferry ticket controller, confirmed that 6,000 passengers were recorded for the past two days.

“That’s low compared to the 10,000 to 11,000 passengers that we have during holidays and fiestas,” she said.

Ucab said commuters may have thought the ferries were filled with people and chose to ride jeepneys instead.