• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The Bacolod City government has called on public works contractors to ensure proper coordination prior to initiating local road projects.
Secretary to the mayor, Atty. Jose Marty Go, said July 16 that the directive comes in the wake of numerous public complaints regarding severe traffic congestion along Burgos Extension, especially during rush hour, due to an ongoing project of the Department of Public Works and Highways.
“We checked these complaints and had them verified by the Bacolod Traffic and Transport Management Department (BTTMD), and they said that, usually, when you encounter public works that cause traffic and none of our traffic enforcers are there, that means the city is unaware and the contractor failed to coordinate with us,” Go said.
The BTTMD said the city was never officially informed of the project’s actual start, despite prior requests sent directly to the contractor.
In a statement, the BTTMD emphasized that under Section 21 of the Local Government Code of 1991 and its implementing rules, any temporary road closures require a formal written order from the local chief executive that explicitly defines the duration of the closure.
The traffic department said that timely coordination is critical in allowing the city government to issue early public advisories, design effective traffic management rerouting schemes, and deploy traffic enforcers to mitigate gridlock.
“The BTTMD just wants to request that they be informed when and what time the project will start, so we can deploy traffic enforcers and draw up a traffic management plan,” Go added. | TMD
