The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will be implementing a moratorium on road repairs and diggings in anticipation of heavier traffic volume, particularly near shopping malls, with the start of the holiday season.
In a radio interview Sunday, MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said the ban on all road work would begin on December 12, a Monday.
The moratorium will cover concrete re-blocking projects and even repairs being conducted by utility companies on power and water lines.
Flyover repair work to be rushed
According to Neomie Recio, head of the MMDA Traffic Engineering Center, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has informed the agency that it would speed up the repair of the Buendia flyover in Makati City in order to beat the deadline for the start of the moratorium.
“Since the moratorium is on December 12, the DPWH said it will try to complete it by then,” she said.
Earlier, the public works department set a December 15 deadline for the completion of the rehabilitation project.
With the southbound section of the flyover undergoing repair, only the northbound lane is open to motorists under a two-way system.
The same system will also be followed on the southbound lane once work begins on the northbound section.
The flyover was closed for weeks in May after it underwent a major rehabilitation that cost the government between P70 million and P80 million.
But after its reopening, the asphalt overlay on the structure started to peel off in several portions, creating potholes and leading to complaints among motorists.
An investigation conducted by the DPWH revealed that the asphalt used in the project was substandard, resulting in the blacklisting of two firms—Filipino Ready Mix Corp. and Pacific Concrete Products—which had supplied the material.
In addition, the contractor for the project, Tokwing Construction, was ordered by the DPWH to remove and replace the asphalt overlay and shoulder all the expenses for the repair work.