Southbound lane of Magallanes Interchange opens Tuesday evening

MANILA, Philippines - The southbound lane of the Magallanes Interchange will be open for all types of vehicles, including trucks and buses this evening (Tuesday), the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) announced Tuesday.

MMDA Traffic Engineering Center chief Neomie Recio said the southbound lane of the interchange will be open to all types of vehicles at 8 p.m.

The MMDA has deployed additional personnel at Magallanes Interchange as the interchange's southbound lane is reopened to light vehicles.

At 5 a.m. on Monday, the south-bound lane of the interchange going to the Southern Luzon Expressway (NLEX) from Manila was reopened for use by light vehicles. The MMDA said the additional traffic enforcers will make sure that only light vehicles will be allowed to use the south-bound lane of the Interchange and ensure a smooth traffic flow.

The south-bound lane of the interchange was earlier closed to traffic from August 9 to August 17 as part of the Magallanes Interchange Rehabilitation Project of the Department of Pubic Works and Highways (DPWH).

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

Secretary of Public Works and Highways Rogelio Singson earlier said the repair of the Magallanes Interchange is being implemented on work stages as allowed by MMDA 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 Feb. 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 301.60l 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 involves 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 of the second-level Interchange and the inner lane of the third-level flyover (Pasay Bound).

"We do not want early deterioration of repaired road because of overloading which may have damaging effects on the interchange," Recio earlier said.