More 24-hour road works set on April 5 to next week
MMDA Chairman Ron Artes— Noy Morcoso/INQUIRER.net
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has announced a second round of 24-hour road works in some areas in Metro Manila, starting on Friday and ending on April 10 or April 11, depending on whether April 10 will be declared a holiday.
This time, the 14 reblocking and repair projects will be carried out by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), MMDA Acting Chair Romando Artes said, after private contractors failed to complete road works on Edsa during the Holy Week break, leading to heavy traffic on the busy thoroughfare on April 1.
“We have penalized the two contractors of a telecommunications company who were unable to comply with the deadline set for road works during the Lenten break. They will be fined P1.260 million,” Artes added.
READ: MMDA to penalize contractors of unfinished Edsa road project
Affected thoroughfares Thursday, the Palace declared April 10 a holiday to mark Eid al-Fitr or the Feast of Ramadan.
The affected roads are mostly in Quezon City, namely: Tandang Sora Avenue from Commonwealth Avenue going to C-5 Road; Bonny Serrano Avenue corner 15th and 20th Avenues; IBP-San Mateo Road fronting Robinson Easymart to Jollibee, the first lane from the center; Luzon Avenue southbound, from Congressional Avenue Extension to before Luzon Avenue flyover, 1st lane from the center;
Mindanao Avenue northbound, from Uno Fuel to Chinabank, truck lane; Payatas Road headed toward Batasan Road, before the Maynilad pumping station to G3 Centre, outer lane; Payatas Road bound for Batasan Road up to Bayanihan and Samar Streets, and then to Leyte Street, outer lane; Payatas Road from Singko to Samar Streets., inner lane; and G. Araneta Avenue from Wayan to Mauban Streets, first lane from the sidewalk.
Also to be repaired are Edsa northbound in Mandaluyong City, from Apo to Pioneer Streets, outermost lane, and beside the sidewalk; Edsa southbound, also in Mandaluyong, after Camp Crame Gate 4 up to Edsa Shrine; Roxas Boulevard northbound in Pasay City between Lourdes and Vicente Sotto Streets; Roxas Boulevard-Edsa flyover southbound, also in Pasay, covering the bridge approach, and the outer and inner lanes; and Roxas Boulevard northbound in Manila, between Remedios and Pasaje del Carmen Streets.
Artes also said the MMDA would coordinate with various government agencies to manage traffic once the DPWH begins the 11-month-long retrofitting of the southbound lane of the Edsa-Kamuning flyover in Quezon City on April 25.
“In the previous time that this happened, no ‘carmageddon’ occurred, so we’ll meet with the Quezon City local government, the barangay, Quezon City Police District, DPWH, Highway Patrol Group to manage traffic well,” he said in a press briefing on Wednesday.
He added that clearing operations would be carried out beforehand on “Mabuhay Lanes” or alternate routes in the Edsa-Kamuning area to make these passable to motorists for the duration of the repairs.
According to the DPWH, the four-phase retrofitting will be done one-and-a-half lane at a time, with the flyover remaining open. The Edsa bus carousel will not be affected.
Paul Chua, DPWH-National Capital Region project inspector, said the repairs were meant to strengthen the decks of the flyover, built in the 1990s, and ensure its soundness in case of disasters, including earthquakes.
“The re-decking of the flyover cannot be deferred. We assure the public that we will manage the traffic in such a way that the impact of the repair is minimal [for] motorists,” he said.
