MANILA — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) urged on Monday motorists to brace for heavy traffic within the next few months due to the repairs of several bridges in Metro Manila.
Repairs on the Old Sta. Mesa Bridge in Manila and Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge in Makati City are expected to start this September, MMDA Special Task Force Operations Commander Bong Nebrija said.
“Pwede po naming hindi bigyan ng permit ang mga ito. Pero mas gusto po namin isaalang-alang ang kaligtasan ng mga motorista. Mabuti na ‘yung ma-traffic kaysa magkaroon ng sakuna. Kailangan na talagang ayusin itong mga tulay (We could not have granted permits for this. However, we want to ensure the safety of the motorists. We would rather have heavy traffic rather than disasters to happen. It is urgent to fix these bridges),” Nebrija said in a radio interview.
Road works on the Sta. Mesa Bridge, which connects San Juan and Quezon City, will start on September 15 and will be closed to give way for the construction of the Skyway Project. The bridge will be taken down to give way to barges. Its rebuilding will take seven months to complete.
Meanwhile, the repair on the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge connecting Makati and Mandaluyong, which will also start this month, will divert at least 100,000 vehicles to the Guadalupe Bridge leading to further traffic congestion on Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (Edsa).
The Guadalupe Bridge will also be rehabilitated in the first quarter of 2019.
Nebrija said the agency is conducting its clearing operations of illegally parked vehicles on Mabuhay Lanes, starting last Friday.
The MMDA will be issuing traffic citation tickets to owners of illegally parked vehicles on these roads. Tow trucks of the agency will no longer be used on the Mabuhay Lanes but instead utilize them to clear obstructions in inner roads upon the request of the local government units.
Other initiatives being implemented by the MMDA to manage traffic include the high occupancy vehicle scheme and the provincial bus ban on Edsa during rush hours. (PNA)