DPWH sticks to original Gorordo flyover design

Despite assurances to the contrary, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will stick to its original design in building a two-lane flyover along Gorordo Avenue.

Engineer Nonato Paylado, assistant DPWH-7 chief for planning and design division, said diverting from the original plan would compromise the quality of the project.

This means that construction of the flyover will damage a portion of the Asilo dela Milagrosa compound, Paylado admitted.

“She shouldn’t have promised that the flyover won’t affect the church,” Paylado told Cebu Daily News,

referring to Cebu City Rep. Rachel “Cutie” del Mar of the north district. The .240 kilometer flyover planned for the juncture of Gorordo and Archbishop Reyes Avenue is being opposed by Asilo nuns and other members of the Movement for a Liveable Cebu.

Their opposition is supported by Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, who said the “heritage value” of the over 70-year-old church was important as he echoed their call for road-widening and a traffic master plan instead of of another flyover.

A moroatorium on construction was ordered last week by the DPWH central office.

Paylado said DPWH Regional Director Engr. Pedro Herrera Jr. told staff they would rather comply with standards set by their office rather than heed del Mar’s request to spare the Asilo dela Milagrosa Church.

“It can’t be moved because the road is straight. If we move the flyover, the road would not be diverted and not aligned, straight” Paylado said.

Nevertheless, Paylado said the DPWH reigonal director is still studying del Mar’s request.

He said all DPWH flyover projects in Metro Cebu follow a set of standards for the lane width, length of curve gutter and service road.

Each lane of the service road would measure 3.35 meters while the flyover land is 3.66 meters wide, excluding the sidewalk and the railings.

Construction of the Gorordo flyover was supposed to start in November. It would require a 3.5 meter setback from the perimeter fence of the Asilo compound, destroying part of the grotto, parking lot, guard house, and a crisis center as well as push the boundary wall to up to the front entrance of the Miraculous Medal Church, blocking the use of the front door.

Meanwhile, businessman Bunny Pages said the DPWH central office was “misled” into believing that the new flyover projects in Cebu are supported by the public.

Pages, who attended the meeting with Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson in Manila last Wednesday ,said he was surprised when Singson showed them documents indicating the support of businessmen to the flyover projects.

“If you see the reports from the DPWH regional office to the central office, they were all distroted. \it said that hearings and consultations were conducted and that 76 percent of those who attended agreed to it (flyovers).

The same documents showed that four public consultations were held in August, September and October. The report showed that two of the consultations expressed support for the flyover project while two consultations ended with no clear decision made.

Flyover proponents also showed nine resolutions passed by the Regional Development Council (RDC) since 2005 endorsing support to the flyovers.

Singson showed a report referring to a technical meeting in the Casino Espanol last month with DPWH and local government units.

“The report said there was hardly any substantial opposition from Cebu. They did not send accurate information,” said pages.

Paylado, who was at the Casino Español meeting, said the report was based on “our verbal inputs” . He said flyover critics were “overwhelmed” after former congressman Raul del Mar argued for the need for flyovers in Cebu City.

“Based on our interpretation of the meeting, the statements in the meeting were in favor of the flyover,” he said.

Paylado said they didn’t hear any direct statements from businessmen like Pages, Roberto Aboitiz or Engr. Primitivo Cal supporting flyover projects.

Paylado said the series of flyovers proposed by Raul del Mar for Cebu City is already approved by the DPWH central office.

He said it is “understandable” that Secretary Singson did not know about it because DPWH has many infrastructure projects nationwide.

“ We can’t expect the secretary to memorize all the projects. But Undersecretary Romeo Mono is aware of it,” Paylado said.