MMDA: 100 DPWH projects can wait

MANILA, Philippines—Road repairs will be suspended, the river ferries will be operating longer, and changes will be made on the so-called Christmas lanes to ease traffic congestion during the holiday season, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino on Thursday served notice to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) that a moratorium would be imposed on its ongoing projects across the metropolis from the first week of December to the first week of January 2015.

Tolentino noted that the DPWH has around 100 ongoing projects in the capital.

The agency would be asked to cover excavation sites with steel plates to make affected lanes passable to vehicles, he said.

“We will be asking this from them since some of the designated Christmas lanes have ongoing road repairs,” he said, referring to the alternative routes recommended for private motorists who wish to avoid congested major thoroughfares.

There would also be changes in the Christmas lanes this year in view of the major infrastructure projects like the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Elevated Expressway and the Magallanes Interchange rehabilitation, he said.

The MMDA designated 17 roads to make up the Christmas lanes last year.

Tolentino also announced plans to extend the operating hours of the Pasig River ferry system, which currently runs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, for the benefit of holiday shoppers.