Metro Manila roadworks to continue until Monday

FILE PHOTO: Workers repair a portion of a road in Metro Manila. —Inquirer files

MANILA, Philippines — The ongoing road reblocking works in Valenzuela and Taguig cities will continue through the weekend, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

In an advisory, the DPWH roadworks include sections of MacArthur Highway in Valenzuela City and the northbound portion of the C5 Road in Taguig City. The repair began at 11 p.m. Friday and will not be completed until 5 a.m. on Monday.

In Valenzuela City, the works will be at the end of the Malinta Bridge to Gov. I. Santiago Street (northbound); BDO Dalandan to Wilcon Dalandan (southbound); First Metro Bus Express Transport to NFA/ACA Road (northbound); and Flicker Tech to San Andres II Street (northbound).

READ: Avoiding Edsa’s traffic nightmare

The DPWH will also conduct repair works on C5 Road (northbound) and East Service Road to the SLEx Toll in Taguig City.

Motorists are advised to access other available lanes or alternative routes during the repair period, as the projects will require partial closure of selected lanes.

The DPWH was supposed to repair even more streets around Metro Manila, but Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso prohibited any roadwork or infrastructure project in the city unless it adheres to the city’s drainage master plan.

“We will not approve your permits if they are not aligned with our City Drainage Master Plan,” Domagoso stated, criticizing the DPWH and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Maynilad and Manila Water.

The meeting focused on the drainage blueprint that the mayor proposed in 2021 and vowed to implement in his second term.

The mayor blamed the agencies and companies for the persistent flooding in Manila roads that arose after their construction projects.

“When you, MMDA and DPWH, didn’t interfere there before, there was no flooding even during the rainy season. When you did something to the sea, to our pipes, it started flooding,” the mayor said in a meeting with the agencies.

“I’ve been in this government for 30 years, and even with typhoons, the corner of Kalaw and Taft Avenue never used to flood. Never,” he said, but now it does. —PNA