Brace for traffic jams in Metro Manila

MANILA, Philippines - Motorists should brace for monstrous traffic jams in Metro Manila as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will start repairs of the Magallanes Interchange in Makati and Ayala Bridge in Manila this month.

Officials of the DPWH met with Metro mayors and officials of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) yesterday to discuss work on the interchange and a series of reblocking projects along EDSA that would cripple traffic in the metropolis.

The construction of Sen. Gil Puyat (Buendia) underpass in Makati is scheduled to begin next month.

DPWH National Capital Region director Reynaldo Tagudando said they have scheduled the repair of the Magallanes Interchange on March 30.

Tagudando said a portion of the interchange would be closed to traffic for 12 days.

“We will lay out a traffic rerouting scheme because this will be a total road closure,” he said.

Tagudando said the damaged portion of the interchange poses danger to motorists.

He said an average of 300,000 vehicles pass through the interchange every day.

“That’s about 40 percent of EDSA’s traffic,” the DPWH official said.

Tagudando said the repair of the interchange would be done in three stages.

Work on the interchange is expected to be completed during summer or before the opening of classes in June.

He said the repair of the Ayala Bridge in Manila would start on March 21 and will be completed on April 20.

The DPWH is rushing the repair of the bridge for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said the DPWH has to provide the agency with the traffic rerouting plan for the bridge closure.

Tolentino said among the major roads that will be affected by the closure of the Ayala Bridge are Quezon Boulevard, United Nations Avenue, Taft Avenue, Quirino, Legarda, Magsaysay, Recto and Roxas Boulevard.

He asked the DPWH to defer the repair of the Magallanes Interchange so it would not overlap with the rehabilitation of the Ayala Bridge.