MMDA temporarily bans trucks on Roxas Blvd. amid road construction

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Trucks will be banned to traverse Roxas Boulevard for the whole duration of its ongoing construction, which has caused heavy traffic in the past months, said the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday.

MMDA chief Carlo Dimayuga III announced this during a press briefing after the approval of MMDA Resolution No. 22-16.

With the resolution, trucks and trailers, with a gross capacity weight of more than 4,500 kilograms are now temporarily prohibited from plying through Roxas Boulevard, Manila.

“While there is an ongoing construction with DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways), bawal po muna ang mga trucks doon at meron po tayong proposed alternate truck routes sa kanila (trucks are not allowed there and we have proposed alternate truck routes for them),” said MMDA chief Carlo Dimayuga III in a briefing on Wednesday.

“It’s temporary hanggang sa matapos lang po ‘yung construction na ginagawa ng DPWH. That’s why we proposed the truck ban kasi sobrang traffic po kasi noon,” he added.

(It’s temporary until the construction by the DPWH is finished. That’s why we proposed the truck ban because there was too much traffic back then.)

Dimayuga explained that the agency decided to implement the ban after conducting a simulation on the travel time of trucks.

“Dati po kasi napakabilis ng kanilang travel time noong wala pang construction, now it’s taking them an hour, so if they reroute ganoon din po ‘yung travel time,” said Dimayuga.

(Their travel time used to be very fast when there was no construction, now it’s taking them an hour, so if they reroute, the travel time will be the same.)

The detouring, he added, would lessen traffic on Roxas Boulevard, reducing the travel time for private cars.

Meanwhile, the MMDA provided the following alternate routes for trucks:

From SLEX to Port Area:

From South Luzon Expressway straight to Osmeña Highway to Pres. Quirino Avenue, turn left to Plaza Dilao towards Pres. Quirino Ext., left at U.N Avenue, turn right to Romualdez, turn left to Ayala Avenue/P. Burgos Avenue, then turn right to Bonifacio Drive to the destination.

From Port Area to SLEX:

From Bonifacio Drive, turn left to P. Burgos/Ayala Blvd. then turn right to San Marcelino, turn left to Pres. Quirino Avenue then right turn to Pres. Osmeña highway to SLEX.

The implementation of the truck ban will come 15 days after the publication of the resolution.

The construction is located right in front of the US Embassy along Roxas Boulevard.

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