No pause in road works this Holy Week break

TRAFFIC ADVISORY. Motorists should avoid the northbound lane of Edsa Guadalupe between Wednesday night and Monday morning due to round-the-clock road repairs as announced by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — There will be no respite from heavy traffic in parts of Metro Manila this Holy Week break as round-the-clock repairs on some major roads will be carried out from 11 p.m. on Wednesday, March 27, until 5 p.m. on Monday, April 1.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said in an advisory that 24-hour road works would be conducted by the Department of Public Works and Highways and a telecommunications firm during the period.

READ: Special permits issued for Holy Week rush

Affected thoroughfares

It urged motorists to take note of the following affected thoroughfares in Quezon City: Batasan-Commonwealth Tunnel, Filinvest 1 Road to fronting Sandigan (1st lane from plantbox); West Avenue, Ligaya Street to Del Monte Avenue (1st lane from sidewalk); Luzon Avenue southbound (SB), Congressional Avenue Extension to before Luzon Flyover (1st lane from center); Commonwealth Avenue, Landbank to Elliptical Road (3rd lane from sidewalk);

Other affected thoroughfares in Quezon City include: Mindanao Avenue, Tandang Sora Avenue to Longines Street (truck lane); Mindanao Avenue Tunnel to Sauyo Road (truck lane); Payatas Road, Batasan Road to Bayanihan Street; Payatas Road between Singko and Leyte Streets; Payatas Road before Maynilad pumping station to Petron gas station (1st lane from sidewalk); and IBP-San Mateo Road. In Pasay City, the affected portions of Roxas Boulevard are northbound (NB) between Lourdes and Vicente Sotto Streets; NB between Remedios and Pasaje del Carmen Streets; and Edsa Flyover SB bridge approach (outer and inner lanes).

In Parañaque City, road repairs would be done on South Super Highway East Service Road, while in Makati City, the road works would all be on Edsa NB Guadalupe, particularly before the bridge (3rd lane); P. Burgos Street near Jollibee and McDonald’s (4th lane); J.P. Rizal Avenue Extension (2nd lane); and J.P. Rizal Ext. near the stoplight (2nd lane).

MMDA Chair Don Artes said the Holy Week break was the best time for contractors to complete their road works and reblocking activities since “fewer vehicles are on Metro Manila streets during that period.”

READ: Pasig City issues Holy Week traffic advisory

Traffic solution needed

Two senators, meanwhile, called on the government to have a concrete plan to solve the worsening vehicular congestion amid calls by some groups for it to declare a state of traffic calamity.

“The government should listen and employ the help of experts from all sectors,” said Sen. Grace Poe, Senate committee on public services chair.

READ: Is government helpless against worsening traffic in Metro Manila?

The Management Association of the Philippines earlier said the worsening traffic congestion was costing the economy an estimated P3.5 billion a day.

It added that such conditions already qualify for a declaration of a traffic calamity, along with “emergency state relief measures.”

Poe said the “crisis needs to be addressed” due to the economic losses, adding that mass transit should be improved and expanded.

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva noted that the country’s traffic situation was the reason why the Telecommuting or Work from Home Law (Republic Act. No. 11165), which he authored, was enacted during the 17th Congress.

“This is exactly why we pushed for [its] passage …, companies and employees should be allowed to arrange flexible work arrangements instead of having employees report physically [to] the office every day and losing working hours due to traffic,” he added.

“It is important that the government should have a concrete plan on how to solve our worsening traffic situation in the country,” Villanueva said, citing the results of the TomTom Traffic Index that listed Metro Manila as the world’s worst metro area traffic in 2023. INQ