Rockwell Bridge closure adds 17,000 vehicles to EDSA

MANILA, Philippines — The traffic situation on EDSA has gotten worse as nearly 17,000 vehicles were added to Metro Manila’s busiest road a few days after the closure of the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge or Rockwell Bridge, an official said yesterday.

“Napaka-traffic. We’ve noticed a significant increase of vehicles from Ortigas to Guadalupe especially during the rush hour,” Bong Nebrija, EDSA traffic czar of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), said.

He said the MMDA monitored the volume of vehicles going through EDSA from Ortigas, Shaw Boulevard and Boni Avenue to Guadalupe in Makati City from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. yesterday.

Based on the traffic projection of the MMDA, Nebrija said almost 17,000 vehicles or about 50 percent of the 35,000 vehicles using the Rockwell Bridge converged on EDSA each day since it was closed to motorists on Saturday.

Approximately 367,000 vehicles pass through EDSA each day.

Nebrija said the MMDA has put traffic reduction measures in place and intensified clearing operations on alternate routes.

“As long as it (traffic) is moving, we’re happy with that. Motorists need patience because it will take years before Rockwell Bridge is completed,” he said.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) closed the seven-year-old bridge on Jan. 19 in order to replace it with an expanded structure to accommodate the increasing number of motorists passing through it. The project will take around 30 months to complete.

The DPWH also said the project was part of a grant from the Chinese government.