Didn’t I say that if the skywalk near the Fuente Osmeña and the skywalk near the Cebu Normal University are to be “dismantled,” then the area around it will have to be closed to traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, to ensure public safety?

Well, guess what?

It was announced that portions of Osmeña Blvd., where the structures are located, will be closed for at least 15 days, yup, more than two weeks, this December to accommodate the transfer of the structures.

It didn’t say when exactly, but I would assume it will take place during school break. That way, there aren’t too many vehicles on the road.

I guess this is the perfect time for City Councilor Rey Gealon, chairman of the Cebu City Traffic Management and Coordination Committee, to stop hesitating about giving the contractor of the first package of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project permission to install additional board-up at the intersection of P. del Rosario and Leon Kilat streets.

It will be like killing two birds with one stone. While the two skywalks are being dismantled, the contractor can continue with the construction of the CBRT, which, by the way, is only 2.38 kilometers long, from the Cebu South

Bus Terminal (CSBT) along N. Bacalso Ave. to the front of the Capitol building along Osmeña Blvd.

What a fracas for such a short distance. Imagine then what will happen when the second package of the CBRT is implemented?

To those who still don’t know or don’t care, the second package covers the distance from the CSBT to the South Road Properties traversing N. Bacalso Ave., and from the Capitol building to the Cebu IT Park in Barangay Apas traversing Escario St., Gorordo Ave., Archbishop Reyes Ave. and M.J. Cuenco Ave., for a total length of 10.65 kilometers.

But there’s no point in talking about something that has not even undergone bidding. Or maybe it has and I just didn’t hear about it. Either way, SunStar Cebu reported last June that the Detailed Engineering Design, which was handled by a South Korean company, would be done by August. Again, no word on that.

The same report said the Department of Transportation targets to start construction by the first quarter of 2024.

Well, we all know the schedules have been changed and will probably continue to change, considering the many factors that have affected the implementation.

We are, after all, in the Philippines, where a local government unit (LGU) conducts a “road recovery” program that forces homeowners who have encroached even an inch on public property to return to their property line, which, by the way, is only right. What is not right is when, after all the hassle and the money spent, the portion the LGU recovered is used as a parking area for motorcycles.

So what happened to the aim “to clear illegal structures encroaching on public roads” to improve traffic flow?

Anyway, that’s another topic.

At any rate, traffic this time of the year is usually terrible. With or without classes. Many people are up and about. Shopping. Eating out. Going to church. Going to the mall. Etc.

If they want to avoid being stuck on the road for hours on end, don’t go near the uptown area. Better yet, stay at home. Shop online. Have your food delivered.

But who would have thought that maybe, just maybe, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama insisting on the original routes of the three processions related to the Fiesta Señor 2024 might actually hasten the completion of Package 1 of the CBRT?

Heck! Weirder things have happened. I mean the son of a deposed dictator sits in Malacañang, so why not this?