Manila port still clogged; MMDA gives trucks leeway

With port congestion still a cause for concern in Malacañang, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has agreed to allow cargo trucks to again use the so-called express lanes on Roxas Boulevard for two weeks starting Monday, Feb. 2.

MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino on Friday said that during this period, which would end on Feb. 15, trucks could use Roxas Boulevard from midnight to 5 a.m. However, they may not do so in the morning of Feb. 7 and 14 (both Saturdays).

Tolentino said the measure would only be temporary and was approved upon the request of Cabinet Secretary Jose Almendras, head of the Cabinet Cluster on Port Congestion, because of the backlog in trucking operations brought about by the holidays declared during the recent visit of Pope Francis.

In December last year, the MMDA barred cargo trucks and other heavy vehicles with a gross weight of 4,500 kilos from using Roxas Boulevard for six months to ease traffic during the Christmas season and to prepare the bayside road for the papal visit.

Truckers were instead advised to take San Marcelino Street, which they could use without being subjected to the existing truck ban that the MMDA imposes on major thoroughfares Monday to Saturday, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

After the two-week allowance for truckers, Tolentino said, Roxas Boulevard would again be prepared and undergo improvements by the Department of Public Works and Highways in time for the country’s hosting of the Asia Pacific Economic Conference (Apec) Summit later this year. Maricar B. Brizuela