THE Cebu City Government is eyeing to improve conditions and ensure the safety of bridges and other infrastructure that leads to mountain barangays to allow more development in the city.Councilor Jerry Guardo, chairman of the committee on infrastructure, told reporters Friday, June 3, 2022, that the City Government has also partnered with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for various flood control projects in the city.Guardo added that the City has allocated P24 million for the repair of the Pulangbato bridge.Guardo said the load-bearing capacity of the bridge was limited due to the damages brought about by Typhoon Odette (Rai) in December 2021 and Tropical Depression Agaton (Megi) in April 2022.According to the councilor, the repair works for the bridge are now up for bidding after it was delayed because of the Commission on Elections’ ban on spending of government funds.Guardo added that the intended repair will allow heavier vehicles to pass through the bridge.“We have noticed that the developers have been developing in our mountain barangays. So we need to retrofit the bridges to accommodate these changes,” Guardo said in Cebuano.Aside from this, Guardo said the City Government is also conducting road-widening projects in Barangays Talamban, Pit-os, Binaliw and Bacayan.Flood controlGuardo said that the National Government, through DPWH, has allocated at least P450 million for different flood control projects in the city.These include dredging and widening of waterways and improvement of culverts in Barangays Tejero, T. Padilla, Day-as, Lorega, Inayawan, and Cogon Pardo.According to Guardo, the project aims to deepen the rivers and reclaim riverbanks to ensure safety for the residents living in the proximity of these bodies of water.Guardo also lamented that land ownership has caused delays in the implementation of the project since there are areas that are owned by private individuals.“The problem that we have encountered is that upon survey, there are private properties that have (land) titles. That is our challenge since we need to negotiate, or else we need to expropriate,” Guardo said in a mix of Cebuano and English.