MANILA – The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said it is aiming to partially open Cebu's bus rapid transit (BRT) system this year following a 5-year delay in the project.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade ordered "round-the-clock construction work" to deliver Package 1 of the Cebu BRT project this year, the DOTrsaid.

Package 1 will cover a 2.6-kilometer busway with 4 stations.

Currently, Package 1 is at the procurement stage, which the DOTr is fast-tracking, it said.

Once finished, the Cebu BRT will span cover 13.2 kilometers, and will include 17 bus stations, 2 terminals and one depot.

When completed, the Cebu BRT is expected to serve around 60,000 passengers daily.

In October last year, Sen. Nancy Binay criticized the DOTr for failing to start the BRT projects in Metro Manila and Cebu half a decade since the country borrowed around $228.50 million from the World Bank to create special lanes meant to decongest traffic.

• 'Wala ni isang hukay': Binay blasts DOTr for failing to implement $228-M BRT project after 5 years
• Bus rapid transit project halted due to road width, right of way issues: Tugade

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