MANILA — Construction works on the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) will be suspended during the All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day break, a Department of Transportation (DOTr) official said Wednesday.
“Hihinto po muna yung construction sa NLEX at SLEX para di maapektuhan ang daloy ng trapiko during Undas (Construction on NLEX and SLEX will be suspended so that they may not affect traffic flow during Undas),” DOTr Assistant Secretary Manny Gonzales said in a television interview.
He said this was agreed upon by the management of both expressways following its meeting with officials of the DOTr last Tuesday.
Gonzales said additional toll booths will be installed on NLEX and SLEX to assist motorists traveling to the provinces.
The Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (I-ACT) will designate drop-off zones within the vicinity of cemeteries in Metro Manila to manage traffic flow and crowd control, he added.
He said I-ACT will also deploy traffic personnel to assist local government units in traffic management.
“Maglalagay din ng mga signages para maalalayan ang mga kababayan nating pupunta ng sementeryo saka additional traffic enforcers na ide-deploy ng different LGUs sa Metro Manila. Before weekend idi-display na nila yung mga rerouting plans at saka yung mga identified drop-off zones (Signages will be installed to assist the people who will be going to the cemeteries. The LGUs in Metro Manila will deploy additional traffic enforcers as well. Before weekend, we will display rerouting plans and identified drop-off zones),” Gonzales said.
The DOTr official said Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade has directed all sectoral offices and attached agencies of the department to be on heightened alert to ensure the safety and comfort of drivers and passengers during the long weekend.
Frontline agencies of the DOTr will implement 24/7 operations while passenger booths and counters are to be properly manned during operating hours to prevent heavy queuing.
Public advisories such as safety tips, common types of violations at expressways and safety and security regulations at airports, seaports and other transportation hubs will be issued. Tarpaulins bearing emergency and hotline numbers will also be disseminated and posted in conspicuous areas within the jurisdiction of the DOTr.
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will deploy more than 2,000 traffic personnel to ensure smooth flow of traffic along major thoroughfares in Metro Manila during Undas.
MMDA general manager Jojo Garcia said the agency will also implement a “no day-off, no absent” policy among its traffic enforcers from October 27 to November 3 as part of its “Oplan Undas 2018.”
Members of the agency’s Special Task Force Operations will clear roads near cemeteries while the Metro Parkway Clearing Group will clean up the vicinity of major cemeteries in Metro Manila such as the Manila North Cemetery, Manila South Cemetery, Loyola Memorial Park and Manila Memorial Park.
The Road Emergency Group will install tents for Public Assistance Centers at these cemeteries and dispatch ambulances to provide emergency medical services to cemetery visitors.
The number coding scheme will be suspended on November 1 and 2 as these were declared special non-working holidays. (Aerol John Pateña/PNA)
