MMDA moves to ease traffic amid Magallanes Interchange repair

MANILA, Philippines - To ease traffic because of the Magallanes Interchange Rehabilitation Project by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said Friday that vehicles turning left from Roxas Boulevard will be allowed on EDSA to Taft Avenue.

The MMDA has announced that the Magallanes flyover along the South Superhighway going to Alabang will be closed from Friday night until August 17 in line with the DPWH’s Magallanes Interchange Rehabilitation Project. The MMDA has advised all affected motorists to take the service road for the meantime.

The MMDA has advised the affected motorists travelling from Manila to Cubao to take the service road, turn to Magallanes Village, then take the Magallanes ramp to EDSA.

MMDA traffic engineering center director Noemi Recio said the affected lane is the one from Osmena Highway in Manila going to the Southern Luzon Expressway towards Alabang.

Recio said the repair of the Magallanes interchange’s southbound lane in Makati City is part of the DPWH project that will end in December.

The DPWH rehabilitation project involves the repair and the strengthening of structural components of the flyover including asphalting activities to improve road pavement surface.

Public Works and Higways Secretary Rogelio Singson earlier said the repair of the Magallanes Interchange is being implemented on work stages as allowed by MMDA inasmuch as the flyover structure is one of the major arteries of Metro Manila.

Singson instructed the DPWH National Capital Region Office to ensure maximum utilization of equipment to speed up work and avoid delays considering that the secured road repair clearance from MMDA for the project is valid only up to February 28, 2015, and with other upgrading activities done strictly only between 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. on weekdays.

The total project length of 1,809.50 lineal meters (l.m.) includes 301.60 l.m. Manila to Alabang, 345.95 l.m. Ayala to Roxas Boulevard, 410.35 l.m. Alabang to Ayala, 405.65 l.m. Ayala to Manila/Alabang, and 345.95 l.m. Roxas Boulevard to Ayala.

The Magallanes Interchange Project with an allocation of P167 million involve asphalt overlay of the third-level flyover (along EDSA) and second-level Interchange from abutment to abutment, repair of the expansion joints, strengthening/retrofitting of the deck slab (soffit) of the second-level Interchange and the inner lane of the third-level flyover (Pasay Bound).