Regalado Highway closed for MRT-7 construction

MANILA, Philippines -  Starting June 16, portions of Regalado Highway in Quezon City will be closed to traffic for the construction of the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7), the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced recently.

The DOTr said the road closure would be in effect until Aug. 15.

“Regalado Highway will be partly closed to give way to the construction of MRT-7 phase 2 project from Mindanao Avenue to Bristol street,” the DOTr said.

Motorists are advised to take alternate routes.

Vehicles from Commonwealth Avenue headed to Quirino Highway will have access to only one lane.

Vehicles from San Jose del Monte headed to Quezon Memorial Circle may pass through Quirino Highway and Commonwealth Avenue or take Belfast street and Mindanao Avenue.

Motorists from Quezon Memorial Circle going to San Jose del Monte can take Mindanao Avenue and Regalado Highway or take Bristol street or Ascension street.

The DOTr along with the Department of Public Works and Highways, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Quezon City Department of Public Order and Safety and project contractor EEI Corp. have formed a task force to implement a traffic enforcement plan for the road closure.

Expected to be completed by 2020, the P69.3-billion MRT-7 project is being implemented by SMC Mass Rail Transit 7 Inc. under San Miguel Corp.’s infrastructure subsidiary San Miguel Holdings Inc., with contractor Hyundai ROTEM and EEI Consortium.

The MRT-7, spanning 23 kilometers, will have 14 stations: North Avenue joint station, Quezon Memorial Circle, University Avenue, Tandang Sora, Don Antonio, Batasan, Manggahan, Doña Carmen, Regalado, Mindanao Avenue, Quirino, Sacred Heart, Tala and San Jose del Monte.

The train system is expected to link with the MRT-3, which runs from the North Avenue station in Quezon City to Taft station in Pasay, with the provision to link with Light Rail Transit (LRT)Line 1 from Roosevelt station in Quezon City to Baclaran station in Pasay.

Once completed, the elevated railway is expected to reduce travel time from two hours to 30 minutes.

Metro Manila is served by three rail lines: LRT-1, LRT-2 which runs from Santolan station in Pasig to Recto station in Manila, and MRT-3.