MANILA — The Metropolitan Manila Development (MMDA) advised motorists to avoid Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) and other roads in Metro Manila as a night time convoy dry run will be conducted on Nov. 8, 2017 in preparation for the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.
A modified stop-and-go scheme will be implemented along the convoy route from the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport at Clark in Pampanga to the roads in the southern part of Metro Manila from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m.
Heavy traffic is expected along the ASEAN routes, according to MMDA Task Force for ASEAN head Emmanuel Miro.
“It will be the sixth and final convoy dry run. This time, the convoy practice will simulate night-time scenario,” Miro said in a statement.
The affected routes for the ASEAN are:
- Clark Complex in Pampanga; along SCTEX from Clark to NLEX;
- along NLEX from SCTEX to Balintawak;
- along Edsa from Balintawak to Magallanes;
- along Diokno from Entertainment City to Buendia;
- along Ayala Avenue from Edsa to Makati Avenue;
- along Makati Avenue from Ayala to Pasay Road;
- along Pasay Road from Edsa to Amorsolo;
- along Lawton from 5th Avenue to 30th Avenue;
- and along McKinley Road from Edsa to 15th Avenue.
EDSA will be cleared at certain periods to give way for vehicles carrying the foreign leaders and delegates while orange barriers will be installed from Balintawak to Magallanes to delineate two inner lanes for the convoy run.
Motorists are expected to experience traffic congestion in the southbound area of Cubao.
“We will clear the affected routes so we advise motorists plying Edsa to use the C5 Road and the Mabuhay lanes,” according to Miro.
Trucks should likewise avoid the routes because they will be temporarily stopped to give way to the convoy.
According to Miro, the last dry run is necessary to ensure seamless coordination of traffic management plans for the travel of delegates going to their hotels and venue in Pasay City and to test the new vehicles and equipment that will be used during the actual summit.
Several convoy dry runs have been conducted as part of the preparations aimed to test various scenarios, light conditions, and intervals on routes during daytime.
For his part, MMDA Assistant General Manager for Operations Jojo Garcia said the agency is considering whether to suspend the number coding scheme on November 13 to 15 which were proclaimed special nonworking holidays in the National Capital Region and the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga.
“We have yet to assess the circumstances whether to implement the number coding scheme during the summit,” according to Garcia.
The MMDA official said the three-day suspension of work for private, government offices and classes would help them in managing traffic during the summit.
The Metro Manila mayors also suspended classes at all levels in Metro Manila for private and public schools on Nov. 16 and 17. (Aerol John Pateña/PNA)
