GMA orders DOTC to expedite railway projects

In order to ease traffic and decongest Metro Manila, President Arroyo ordered yesterday the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to expedite the construction of the remaining three stations of Metro Railway Transit 3 line linking North EDSA to Monumento and the North Rail project phase 1 connecting Caloocan City to Malolos, Bulacan.

The President issued the order during the "Pulong Bayan" at the Light Railway Transit Line 2 station in Cubao, Quezon City, wherein the theme was "Decentralization of Development: Transport System."

Decentralizing development by transport infrastructure is one of the President’s 10-point agenda for the next six years.

Joining the President were Vice President Noli de Castro, Sen. Mar Roxas, Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando, LTFRB chief Elena Bautista and Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr.

The President said MRT 3 stations of Muñoz, Balintawak and Monumento would surely improve the traffic condition in the metropolis.

She questioned the delay to which Mendoza said his department is resolving some technical and legal issues regarding the construction. Mendoza said, however, that project construction would start by the first quarter of 2005.

"Ayaw kong pag-usapan ang kahit na anong ibang train project sa Metro Manila hanggang hindi ko nakikita ito," the President said.

Mrs. Arroyo also ordered North Luzon Railway Corp. president Jose Cortez to fasttrack the North Rail project.

She noted that the squatter families in Caloocan City that are bound to be affected by the project have already agreed to be relocated to a housing project in Valenzuela City.

Transport terminal

MMDA’s Fernando said they would start by next week the construction of the North Avenue phase of the North Transport Terminal (NTT), which is expected to decongest traffic on EDSA, from North Avenue to East Avenue.

The MMDA chief said development of the terminal at the corner of EDSA and North Avenue will start once a memorandum with property owner Ayala Land is signed.

The 10-million NTT for public transport is part of the Greater Manila Mass Transport System, a priority project of the President.

Meanwhile, the MMDA said it expects a 10 percent increase in the number of road users along seven major thoroughfares in the metropolis once they complete improvement work by early 2005.

Fernando said they would utilize a sizable amount of their budget, around P4.8 billion, to complete the improvement on seven roadways, namely: Road 10 in Tondo, McArthur Highway, Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon Avenue, Marcos Highway in Marikina, C-5 Road, and EDSA.

"At present, only 30 percent of motorists utilize these seven roadways, but once we finish with the development, we expect more motorists to pass through these roads, or about 40 percent. Majority of the riding public do not use these roads because they engage in short-distance travel."

These thoroughfares are considered the connecting roadways to areas outside of the metropolis such as Antipolo, Rizal and Pampanga and the MMDA aims to speed up the movement of vehicles in and out of Metro Manila.

The MMDA pledges to construct footbridges, install street lights, create emergency bays, waiting sheds, pink urinals, fences along the center island to prevent pedestrians from crossing as well as implement flood control projects and sidewalk clearing operations.

Three-meter wide and five-meter long emergency bays would be situated near the center island so motorists that encounter engine trouble could park at these designated spots for a certain period of time without fear of their vehicles being towed. – Evelyn Macairan, Jose Rodel Clapano