Rama says widened Mabolo avenue will be heritage road

After the road widening of M.J. Cuenco Avenue in barangay Mabolo, Cebu City will make the area a “heritage road” with pre-war houses as its attraction.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama gave this assessment after he inspected the 14 half-century old houses and two century-old houses which would be affected by the road widening project.

Rama said he would support the road widening project provided it wouldn’t be costly for the city government and not prejudice property owners of old houses and the Chinese cemetery.

Engineer Nonato Paylado of the City Engineering District said that the widening would only push the cemetery fence a meter backward.

Paylado earlier assured the mayor and affected owners during a consultation meeting that the project had nothing to do with a plan to build a flyover along the intersection of General Maxilom and M.J. Cuenco Avenues.

Rama, who opposes a new flyover said he supported the road widening in M.J. Cuenco because it would complement his bid to have a traffic masterplan.

“Maybe after the widening project is completed, there will be no more need for the flyover (being proposed in the area),” said Rama.

Rama also visited the pre-war house of former Cebu City mayor Florencio Urot and the late Dominga Querubin’s century-old house across the street.

The widening project will affect 4.14 meters of the Urot residence.

Built in 1937, the two-story Urot house is mostly made of Narra hardwood.

Rama earlier asked the Department of Public Works and Highways to first present to affected property owners the computation of the expropriation of the properties prior to the widening implementation.

He said he hoped that this would help the owners to agree to the government’s widening project and prevent a tedious expropriation case.