Builder sought for Cebu Bus Rapid Transit project

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has started a competitive process to pick the contractor that will build the remaining portion of the P16.21-billion Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), which is scheduled to be operating fully by the first quarter of 2027.

In a notice to potential bidders, the DOTr said the P4.74-billion contract that covers Package 2A and Package 3A of the BRT project.

Package 2A involves the construction of bus terminals that link South Road Properties (SRP) to Cebu South and Capitol to IT Park, as well as a bus depot.

Package 3A involves the construction of bus stops along Mambaling to Talisay, SRP to Talisay and IT Park to Talamban as well as building a feeder bus terminal.

A pre-bid conference will be held on Oct. 17. Submission and opening of bids is on Nov. 22.

Cebu BRT is a bus service with dedicated routes or priority lanes that traverse a 13.8-kilometer corridor from South Road Properties through Mambaling up to IT Park.

The public transportation system—which is designed to have 17 bus stations, two terminals and one depot—is designed to serve 160,000 passengers when fully operational.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the first package was held last year. The first phase includes four bus stations located at Cebu South Bus Terminal, Cebu Normal University and around Fuente Osmeña Circle and Cebu Provincial Capitol.

The contract was awarded to Hunan Road and Bridge Construction, a Chinese contractor, in November 2022.

The Cebu BRT project seeks to provide an efficient and affordable urban transport system in one of the country’s biggest cities.

The Visayan metropolis has been seeing major infrastructure developments in recent years, including the P33-billion Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEx) constructed by Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC).

MPTC unit CCLEx Corp. is working on extending the toll road to Guadalupe City via a P1-billion ramp project. It is targeted to be completed by 2026.—Tyrone Jasper C. Piad