Nation

Brace for worse traffic jams as metro projects start

Louis Bacani - The Philippine Star

February 17, 2014 | 9:23am

MANILA, Philippines - MalacaÃ±ang has pleaded for patience from the public as traffic in Metro Manila is expected to worsen due to major infrastructure projects set to begin today.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Sec. Sonny Coloma said the start of key construction projects such as the Skyway Stage 3 and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway Phase 2 will produce "short term inconvenience."

"We call on our people to share in the burden of sacrifice and bear with short term inconvenience so we can build better roads that will ensure faster travel and more productive living in our highly congested National Capital Region," Coloma said in an interview over government-run dzRB on Sunday.

The Skyway Stage 3 project will connect the North and South Luzon Expressways through a 14.8-kilometer, six-lane elevated expressway that runs from Buendia in Makati to Balintawak in Quezon City.

It will run through or cross parts of OsmeÃ±a Highway, Quirino Avenue, Santa Mesa district via the Nagtahan flyover, Araneta Avenue. Aurora Boulevard, E. Rodriguez, Quezon Avenue, Sgt. Rivera and A.Bonifacio Avenue.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Francis Tolentino had advised motorists to prepare for heavy traffic as the Skyway 3 project starts construction at 10 p.m. on Monday.

The STAR reported last week that according to Tolentino, the traffic volume in EDSA will increase by 55 percent once the Skyway 3 project starts with the diversion of traffic.

"There will be no total closure but motorists will have to learn how to drive bumper to bumper and shoulder to shoulder," Tolentino was quoted as saying in the report.

Tolentino said 10 posts will be erected from the foot of the Skyway in Gil Puyat Avenue (Buendia) in Makati to San Andres in Manila.

According to the project's profile posted on the MMDA's MMRoadway.com website, the advance work for the expressway's Section 1 will be conducted from March to April.

Section 1, which is approximately 3.4 kilometers, covers Buendia to Plaza Dilao.

The construction of the entire P26.5-billion project is expected to be completed by 2017.

INFOGRAPHIC: Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3

Aside from the Skyway Stage 3, other projects also scheduled for construction within the coming months are the following:

Gil Puyat-Makati-Avenue-Paseo de Roxas underpass
Sta. Monica-Lawton Avenue bridge
CP Garcia Avenue-McKinley Hill ramp
repair and asphalt overlay of Magallanes Interchange
EDSA-Taft Avenue flyover
MRT Line 3/ LRT Line 1 extension common station
LRT Line 2 East extension up to Masinag
LRT Line 1 Extension (Cavite)
EDSA- Roosevelt Ave. interchange
Espana Avenue-Lacson Avenue interchange
repair and rehabilitation and improvement of South Superhighway Makati
EDSA-West Avenue-North Avenue interchange

Rerouting scheme

In its Twitter account, the Skyway O&M Corporation released an advisory for the traffic rerouting scheme to be implemented due to the construction works.

The advisory said motorists who want to avoid the stretch of OsmeÃ±a Highway between Quirino Avenue and the Buendia-end of the Skyway-SLEX may use several alternate routes: