DOTr to push through with Cebu BRT plan

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) will pursue an overhauled Cebu bus rapid transit (BRT) project as part of a so-called Intermodal Integrated Transport System.

Mark de Leon, DOTr undersecretary for roads, said the original P16-billion Cebu BRT that would span 23 kilometers would be “revalidated, reengineered and redesigned.”

“The scope will be different,” De Leon said, adding that the project would have “almost the same alignment.” Nevertheless, major changes such as those outlined would result in the project again requiring approval from the board of the National Economic and Development Authority.

The Cebu BRT was earlier designed to link the areas of Bulacao, Ayala and Talamban.

De Leon said part of the design overhaul would be the retrofitting of the proposed stations.

He said some would have connections to a possible Light Rail Transit Line that would run from Carcar to Danao, and Mandaue to the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA).

The DOTr, in July, revealed plans for its intermodal integrated transport system in Cebu.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade had said the central component was a $3-billion offer for an inner-city LRT. Also in the cards is a potential monorail project that will link MCIA to hotels and resorts on Mactan Island.

BRT projects in Cebu and Metro Manila were previously stalled as the DOTr was wary about their impact on congested roads.

BRT supporters, meanwhile, argued that BRT systems, which require a dedicated lane and specialized bus units, were an effective mass transit solution to traffic-strangled roads.

There are also two proposed Metro Manila BRTs.

The Metro Manila BRT Line 1 will run 12.3-km from Quezon Memorial Circle to Manila City Hall via Elliptical Road, Quezon Avenue, and Espana Boulevard.

The larger Metro Manila BRT Line 2 will span 48.6 km. It will have four main corridors: a main line along Edsa and spur corridors along Ayala Avenue to World Trade Center, Ortigas to Bonifacio Global City, and Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

While the Quezon Memorial Circle BRT remains in the cards, De Leon said the Edsa BRT was unlikely to move forward given that the Asian Development Bank, which was supposed to fund the project, had backed out.

“They have technical issues regarding the Edsa BRT. These are more on engineering concerns,” De Leon said.