Makati grows impatient over DPWH road repairs

Echoing complaints from across the metropolis, the Makati City government expressed impatience over the ongoing road repair projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which particularly irked motorists who passed through Edsa on Saturday.

City Engineer Mario Badillo said his office had been swamped with complaints about flash floods and traffic jams in areas affected by DPWH activities.

Traffic got worse on Saturday not only because of the agency’s reblocking works on Edsa but also because of the motorcades that used inner streets to campaign for candidates running in Monday’s barangay elections. It was the last day of the campaign period.

“We appeal to the DPWH to prioritize the completion of its road repair projects in our city, especially in flood-prone and high-traffic areas like Sen. Gil Puyat and Kalayaan Avenues. The longer they take to finish, the less effective our continuous unclogging and desilting operations become in mitigating floods,” Badillo said in a statement.

The city engineering office took note of the ongoing DPWH projects on J.P. Rizal Street in Barangay Olympia; Kalayaan Avenue in Barangays Bel-Air, Sta. Cruz and San Antonio; Arnaiz Avenue in Pio del Pilar; Evangelista Street in Bangkal; Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue spanning Palanan and San Isidro; Faraday Street and Rockefeller Street in San Isidro, and Emilia Street also in Palanan.

Roadworks were also scheduled on the Magallanes Interchange in Barangay Bangkal and Magallanes, it added.

The Makati official made the statement as motorists in and outside his city endured traffic jams caused by Edsa reblocking works, which the DPWH started on Oct. 26 and would last till early morning of Oct. 29.