THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) yesterday released the list of alternative routes that motorists affected by the rehabilitation of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) next month can use.
The rehabilitation is scheduled to start on June 13 and will be completed in 2027.
North-bound vehicles can use the following alternative routes:
1. Macapagal Avenue: If vehicles are coming from Macapagal Ave., they should use the NAIA Expressway headed to NAIA Terminal 3, Andrews Avenue, Sales Road and Magallanes.
The MMDA said motorists must then pass through the Terminal 3 Exit headed to Nicholes to East Service Road, to C-5 Road to Kalayaan Ave. to Shaw Boulevard or Lanuza to Julia Vargas Avenue, both in Ortigas.
2. From Roxas Boulevard, the agency said motorists can go to Macapagal Ave. and take the same alternative. They will then traverse through C-5 either going to Kalayaan-Shaw or Lanuza-Julia Vargas, or they could pass through Arnaiz and Buendia.
3. Vehicles from Quirino or C2 going to Shaw Boulevard can use Pedro Gil, while those coming from EDSA can use Kalayaan Ave. to get to Shaw and Julia Vargas Avenues.
4. Vehicles in Kalayaan can also use C5 road to get to Julia Vargas, Lanuza and Ortigas.
South-bound vehicles can use:
1. Motorists headed south can use the Skyway Stage 3 going to Quezon Ave., E. Rodriguez, Plaza Azul, Buendia, Magallanes, NAIA Expressway (Andrews Avenue), NAIA Expressway (Terminal 3), NAIA Expressway (Tramo), NAIA Expressway (Terminal 1 and Terminal 2), NAIA Expressway (Coastal Road and CAVITEX), NAIA Expressway (Entertainment City and New Seaside Drive), and NAIA Expressway (Macapagal Boulevard).
2. Vehicles coming from West Ave. can use the Quezon Avenue-Skyway Stage 3 if they are going to the roads mentioned above.
3. Motorists coming from Kamuning can use E. Rodriguez-Skyway Stage 3 if they are proceeding to Plaza Azul, Buendia, Magallanes and NAIA Expressways.
4. Vehicles coming from Congressional Ave. or C5 can make a U-turn at the Quezon Academy to Congressional if they are going to Aurora Boulevard, Bonny Serrano, Ortigas Ave., Shaw Boulevard, Kalayaan Avenue, South Luzon Expressway or Magallanes. Likewise, from C5, vehicles going to the NAIA Expressways could take the East Service Road.
5. Vehicles coming from EDSA that turn right at Ortigas can proceed to Shaw via Wilson Street. Upon reaching Shaw, they can use Pedro Gil and C2 or Quirino Avenue. They can also turn left at Ortigas, use C5 to get to Shaw, Kalayaan or Magallanes.
6. From C-5, motorists can also use the East Service Road to Sales to the NAIA Expressway.
7. Vehicles can also take a right at J. P. Rizal from EDSA to Buedia to Roxas Boulevard, especially if they are coming from Makati Ave. They can reach NAIA Expressways from J. P. Rizal. Coming from EDSA, they can also turn left at J. P. Rizal to Kalayaan Ave. C-5 Road, then C-5 to SLEX or Magallanes.
8. Those coming from Ayala can use Arnaiz Avenue or South Superhighway to Roxas Boulevard.
9. Vehicles from South Superhighway can turn right to reach Arnaiz, Buendia, or C2 or Quirino Ave. Roxas Boulevard. Motorists can also take a left going to SLEX or Magallanes to reach the NAIA Expressways.
10. The MMDA said from EDSA Tramo in Pasay, motorists can take a left at Tramo flyover if they are headed to the NAIA Expressways, while motorists from EDSA going to Taft Avenue can take a right at Taft if they are headed to Roxas Boulevard through Arnaiz, Buendia, C2 or Quirino.
The MMDA said motorists can also use the Mabuhay lanes.
MMDA chief Romando Artes said they would also intensify clearing operations in alternate routes and Mabuhay lanes so motorists will have unimpeded travel while EDSA is undergoing rehabilitation.
“The MMDA will continue our road and sidewalk clearing operations to remove obstructions, including illegally parked vehicles and sidewalk vendors who obstruct the flow of traffic, especially in the alternative routes and Mabuhay lanes that motorists use,” Artes said.
Authorities have readied measures for the expected traffic congestion during the rehabilitation.
Transport Secretary Vince Dizon said among these measures is making the toll in Skyway Stage 3 free of charge to motorists, the deployment of an additional 100 buses on the EDSA busway, and additional trains on MRT-3 to accommodate more passengers.
The MMDA will also implement a round-the-clock “odd-even” scheme for six days a week.
Under the planned scheme, vehicles with plates ending in 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 are banned on the thoroughfare on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while those ending in 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 will be prohibited on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
EDSA will be free for all types of vehicles on Sundays.
The scheme is planned to be implemented starting June 16, though it will undergo a month-long dry run to prepare motorists and the riding public.
The odd-even scheme is on top of the current unified vehicular volume reduction program, commonly known as the “number coding” scheme.
ODD-EVEN SCHEME
Rep. Wilbert Lee (PL, Agri) has filed a resolution urging the MMDA to suspend its planned implementation of the odd-even scheme on EDSA pending a thorough socio-economic evaluation and proposed alternate route plans.
Lee, in House Resolution No. 2294, also called for a “broad-based” public consultation, saying it will ensure “holistic and sustainable transport solutions.”
While the objective of reducing vehicular volume is necessary, the lawmaker said the implementation of the odd-even scheme without corresponding improvements in public transportation and clear and concrete alternative route plans “burdens ordinary commuters, private car owners and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in their livelihood.”
“It is imperative for the MMDA to ensure that an efficient, safe and widely accessible public transportation system is in place before implementing such schemes that limit mobility options for the public,” Lee said. “The said coding scheme may result in adverse socio-economic implications affecting daily commute, livelihood, or critical errands, effectively curtailing mobility and productivity of the public.”
Lee said the scheme may only prod motorists to acquire second vehicles to circumvent the restrictions, which will “further contribute to congestion and pollution in the long run – a lesson that has seemingly not been fully learned from previous traffic policies implemented by the government.”
“The said policy is inherently unjust to workers who rely on their vehicles to travel across cities for work, to entrepreneurs who use their vehicles as a means of transportation for their businesses and to existing car owners who own two cars with both ‘odd’ or ‘even’ plate numbers, among others,” he said.
Rep. Ordanes (PL, Senior Citizens) wrote the MMDA and the Department of Transportation (DOTR), saying seniors should be exempted from the scheme because their regular health check-ups will be affected.
“Many of our elderly constituents rely on their private vehicles to attend essential medical appointments, therapy sessions, and other vital activities that are not easily rescheduled,” he said. “They also face physical limitations and health risks when using public transportation, especially under extreme weather conditions.”
Ordanes said the exemption is also pursuant to the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 or Republic Act 9994, which guarantees support for the welfare of senior citizens. – With Wendell Vigilia
