DPWH partially opens Lucena underpass for Holy Week travelers

The Lucena underpass would be open to Manila-bound vehicles this Holy Week. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/Ronald Lim

LUCENA CITY — The 419-meter underpass along the diversion road here would be temporarily opened to motorists to prevent traffic gridlock of Holy Week motorists.

Arnel Avila, Lucena public information officer, said that according to the local Department of Public Works and Highways, one lane of the underpass road would be open to Bicol-bound travelers from midnight of Tuesday (April 16) until midnight of Friday (April 19).

The opposite track of the two-lane road has not yet been completed.

From April 20 to 22, the open lane would be used by Manila-bound motorists, Avila said on his Facebook account.

Construction of the P230-million road project along the Maharlika Highway diversion road in the outskirts of the city started in 2017.

It aims to decongest the heavy flow of motorists from Manila to Bicol and vice versa that oftentimes create a chokepoint at the intersection of the diversion road and Lucena-Tayabas road in Barangay Gulang-Gulang even after the road widening.

With the completion of the underpass road this year, at least 70 percent of the daily motorists would no longer stop at the intersection and continue their travel unhampered.