By Aerol John Pateña/PNA
MANILA — Motorists must brace for heavy traffic as the Tandang Sora flyover and intersection in Quezon City will be closed starting at 11 p.m. of February 23 for the construction of the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7), the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said Thursday.
MMDA general manager Jose Arturo Garcia said the closure of the four-lane Tandang Sora flyover and intersection along Commonwealth Avenue will last for two years.
“The closure will last for the next two years, affecting more than 100,000 motorists traveling along Commonwealth Avenue and 2,000-3,000 motorists using the Tandang Sora intersection daily,” Garcia said in a press briefing in Makati City.
The MMDA will install a temporary U-turn slot 500 meters away from the Tandang Sora intersection to divert vehicular traffic.
The agency is eyeing to build an elevated U-turn slot made of steel within the next three months to ease traffic congestion in areas while the MRT-7 is being constructed.
Garcia said he instructed MMDA Traffic Engineering head, Neomie Recio, to visit the site and study where the elevated U-turn slot will be built.
“While waiting for the construction of the elevated U-turn slot, motorists have to use temporary U-turn slot in the area,” Garcia said.
The MMDA will deploy 154 personnel while the Quezon City government will also assign 100 flagmen along Commonwealth Avenue to guide motorists in the area.
The MRT-7 is envisioned to be a 22.8-km railway line that will consist of 14 stations, traversing from North Avenue in Quezon City to the City of San Jose del Monte in Bulacan.
