THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority yesterday told the public to brace for heavy traffic due to the closure of the southbound lane of the EDSA-Kamuning flyover in Quezon City for six months starting May 1.
MMDA chief Romando Artes said the Department of Public Works and Highways will conduct retrofitting work on the flyover.
He said the DPWH will begin the by-phase retrofitting of the flyover southbound on April 25 to “strengthen the bridge and avoid further damage as preventive measures against natural disasters like earthquakes.
“The retrofitting of the Kamuning flyover is a significant step in the government’s efforts to rehabilitate structures in preparation for ‘The Big One’ in case it happens,” he said while advising motorists to use alternate routes.
Artes said the flyover will be opened to vehicular traffic on October 25.
“Even though the flyover will be partially closed during the rehabilitation, it will still be passable to public utility buses on the EDSA carousel,” Artes said.
He said the MMDA will also study whether emergency vehicles could be allowed to use the busway in the flyover on a case-to-case basis.
“Although the southbound lane of the Kamuning flyover will not be entirely closed, we are advising motorists, especially private vehicles, to use the Mabuhay Lanes as alternate routes to avoid heavy traffic expected due to the re-decking works,” he said.
Before the closure, MMDA will conduct clearing operations in the vicinity to ensure unobstructed alternate routes in coordination with the Department of Transportation, PNP-Highway Patrol Group, Quezon City government and concerned barangay officials.
Sen. Grace Poe yesterday said that putting up a motorcycle lane to decongest traffic on EDSA would be a big challenge to the government considering the limited road space of Metro Manila’s main highway.
“The intention to decongest EDSA is understandable but it is curious how they will carve out a dedicated lane considering the limited road space as it is,” said Poe, who chairs the Committee on Public Services.
She said the MMDA has experimented with putting up a non-exclusive motorcycle lane along Commonwealth Aven. and other parts of the metropolis but having one in EDSA aroused her curiosity.
“Are they intending to share it with bike lanes? Should it be standardized across all highways? The varying placements of motorcycle lanes can be confusing to motorists who traverse multiple highways daily,” she said.
Poe said these concerns should be addressed with actual data “and not just mere experiments that can cause further confusion in our already chaotic roads.
“It also highlights the need for an independent fact-based agency like the National Transport Safety Board which should be able to cull data and institute standards for the designation of motorcycle lanes,” she added.
The Department of Transportation and other government agencies are studying the possibility of adding a motorcycle lane to ease traffic congestion on EDSA which is used by around 170,000 motorcycle riders daily.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said they are studying the possibility of putting up a motorcycle lane beside the bicycle lane on the right side of Metro Manila’s main artery.
At present, one lane is dedicated to buses, which is at EDSA’s left-most lane, while the bike lane is at the right side of the highway.
Sen. Nancy Binay said setting up a motorcycle lane “is a temporary solution” to ease traffic congestion on EDSA, saying what the government needs to do to solve the problem is “to maximize opportunities and solutions for mass transport.
“The reason why such alternative rides exist is because our public infrastructures fail to address urban mobility challenges — puro palliative at short-term palagi. Kaya huwag po sana tayong mag-dwell sa mga polisiya na maglilihis sa mass transit solutions (that’s why we need not dwell on policies that would divert to mass transit solutions),” she said.
She said the government has yet to maximize the full potential of the Mass Railway Transit and bus lanes, and now it is coming up with a “single passenger alternative.”
“DOTr should shift its focus towards efficient, safe, and comfortable mass transportation experience, start building robust mass transportation networks, and prioritize investments in efficient public transit systems like busses, BIRTs, and trains,” she added.
Sen. Francis Escudero said the government has already tried putting up motorcycle lanes but this has failed.
“Remember the blue lane in the middle for motorcycles…Did it work? It’s good though that they are continually looking for solutions to the traffic problem, but if at all, can they please do simulations through AI simulators of whatever they are considering to do instead of implementing it and using us as guinea pigs?” he added.
FINES PAID
The two contractors that failed to finish their road projects on EDSA that caused traffic jams after the Holy Week break had paid the P1.60 million fines meted against them, the MMDA said yesterday.
Artes said HGC Global Communications and R Link Corp., which were tapped by telecommunications company Globe Telecoms to install underground fiber optic cables during the Holy Week break, had paid the fines.
“The two had already paid the P1.60 million in fines,” Artes said.
The installation of the fiber optic cables was supposed to be finished by April 1 but the contractors failed to get the job done, causing heavy traffic on portions of EDSA where the diggings were left open or still had freshly poured cement.
“Out of 40 manholes, 24 were left uncovered. No traffic marshals were seen on the road to at least man the traffic. As a result, the public mistakenly thought that those were MMDA and DPWH projects because they used the traffic cones and barriers of the agency,” Artes said in announcing the penalty on the two contractors. — With Raymond Africa
