Apart from the current projects we definitely know of, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), a plan to construct a Metro Cebu Expressway will soon be done. As of this moment, two (2) firms were happy enough to submit proposals to shoulder the project and what it needs.
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The 73.7 kilometer, six-lane expressway is going to be a reality soon. With the help of both the government and private corporations through the public-private partnership (PPP), the Metro Cebu Expressway will start to help people going in and out of Cebu City—plus, having easier and better access to the cities around it, too.
Wouldn’t that be fun and better? What is the Metro Cebu Expressway anyways?
What is the Metro Cebu Expressway?
Only a few people are able to know what this is and in fact, it’s still not being officially named. Nevertheless, the Metro Cebu Expressway or the Cebu Circumferential Road will be the project that would be meeting Cebu’s current and future traffic demand.
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As per the DPWH, the goal of the Metro Cebu Expressway is to:
- Link Metro Cebu’s coastal, norther, southern, and central economic developments and urban districts with current high capacity bypass and new upland high standard.
- Ameliorate and improve the travel to and from east to west, urban inter to modal, and south to north tourism and economic roads to be able to meet the future traffic’s demand.
- Contribute to redirect economic and demographic enlargement by accommodating mobile transportation across different regions and districts of Metro Cebu; and
- Facilitate the movement of commerce from Cebu’s Central Business Districts (CBDs), movement of people, tourism along Metro Cebu, and the export and economic movement.
So, it’s safe to say that the proposed Circumferential Road of Cebu is a bypass road of North to South and vice versa to meet the hills of Metro Cebu; it’s to be divided into three (3) segments with each having their own lengths and stations.
Segment 1
This will be the arterial road from the Minglanilla-Talisay boundary going to Mandaue City-Consolacion boundary—which will pass through Cebu City. It will have a length of 26.8 kilometers.
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Segment 2
Segment 2, on the other hand, will be from the Mandaue City-Consolaction boundary going to Danao City and will have a length of 29.799 kilometers.
Segment 3
Last but definitely not the least, Segment 3 will cover the remaining 17.15 kilometer stretch, covering Naga city to the Minglanilla-Talisay boundary.
The total of the three (3) segments would be at a staggering 73.75 kilometers—enough to drastically help transporting people from one point to another but in astounding distances.
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Nonato Paylado, DPWH-7 Design and Planning Chief said that the two (2) companies, who will be working the first two (2) segments would be China Construction First Group and the Metro Pacific Tollways Development Corporation. The latter, as per DPWH-7 Planning and Design Chief, is currently working on the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway.
In a meeting with the Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating Board (MCDCB), Paylado said that they’re looking forward to constructing the whole stretch for the betterment of the transportation system.
They intend to construct the whole stretch, including the remainder of Segment 3, and that will depend on the evaluation of the department.”
The Metro Cebu Expressway to be the solution to traffic
A lot of people mistake the idea that Cebu City is a city free-from traffic. Last year, it was recorded that about P1.1 billion of revenue was being lost on a daily basis because of the worsened traffic of Cebu City.
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Edgar Tabacon, DPWH 7 Director, said that the National Economic and Development Authority-Investment Coordinating Council is currently in the process of evaluation for the final report on the feasibility study.
He said that QM Construction won the bidding for the P300 million Segment 3 project—the budget will be coming from the annual budget in the year 2019. Segments 1 and 2, however, is the one that will be done through the PPP.
Paylado said that awarding the project to a respectable and well-known private firm can shorten the construction time to just four (4) years.
You can just imagine if they will be able to shorten it, if they can finish it in four years, that would be a big (help). A tunnel will straighten out a certain section of the road and make it shorter. So, if you’re going to shorten the total length, you will also be able to shorten the project duration.”
Segment 3 construction
According to Paylado, progress on Segment 3 which is located in Barangays Cantao and Pangdan and in Naga has been put to suspension because of issues of the right-of-way. However, he added that once the legal department is done with acquiring properties, these will be finished and finalized.
How much is the cost of constructing the Metro Cebu Expressway?
There are a lot of costs in constructing these kinds of infrastructure. According to the DPWH, the cost for the Metro Cebu Expressway, including right-of-way amounts to P28.1 billion.
Overall, the Metro Cebu Expressway aims to decongest the most congested areas of Cebu City especially the Central Business Districts (CBDs).
Kristine Vanessa Chiong, Naga City Mayor said that any type of help that would be an alternative could ultimately help in the eradication of traffic in that particular area and the areas adjacent to it.
The Metro Cebu Expressway is a positive development for the City of Naga and to us, commuters.”
The DPWH is looking for the completion of the Metro Cebu Expressway by 2022, when our current dear President, President Rodrigo Duterte’s term ends. Hopefully, the Metro Cebu Expressway would really be deemed effective in road utilization and traffic decongestion.
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Added to the major roads and highways—and other transportation complements, the Metro Cebu Expressway would be an effective alternative for people residing and working in Cebu City and locations adjacent to it.
What do you think about the project proposed by the DPWH? Although currently, it’s feasibility is being looked at, everyone believes that this is one of the few answers to help the major traffic problem the city is currently experiencing.
Check out the DPWH’s website with details about the Metro Cebu Expressway; its current status, and other relevant details about it, too! You can see the map of the planned circumferential road there, too!
