During the Holy Week holiday, Metro Manila is expecting significant traffic because major roads will be undergoing intensive round-the-clock repairs starting at 11 p.m. till 5 p.m. on March 27, a Wednesday. on April 1st, Monday.
In an advisory, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) stated that the Department of Public Works and Highways, working with a telecommunications company, will be doing road construction around-the-clock during this time.
Affected Thoroughfares:
Motorists are advised to take note of the following affected thoroughfares in Quezon City:
- Batasan-Commonwealth Tunnel, from Filinvest 1 Road to the area in front of Sandigan (1st lane from plantbox)
- West Avenue, from Ligaya Street to Del Monte Avenue (1st lane from sidewalk)
- Luzon Avenue southbound (SB), from Congressional Avenue Extension to just before Luzon Flyover (1st lane from center)
- Commonwealth Avenue, from Landbank to Elliptical Road (3rd lane from sidewalk)
Other affected thoroughfares in Quezon City include:
- Mindanao Avenue, from Tandang Sora Avenue to Longines Street (truck lane)
- Mindanao Avenue Tunnel to Sauyo Road (truck lane)
- Payatas Road, from Batasan Road to Bayanihan Street
- Payatas Road between Singko and Leyte Streets
- Payatas Road before Maynilad pumping station to Petron gas station (1st lane from sidewalk)
- IBP-San Mateo Road
Northbound lanes between Lourdes and Vicente Sotto Streets, NB lanes between Remedios and Pasaje del Carmen Streets, and the Edsa Flyover SB bridge approach (outer and inner lanes) are among the sections of Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City that are impacted.
The South Super Highway East Service Road in Parañaque City will also undergo road repairs, while Edsa NB Guadalupe in Makati City will be the main emphasis, especially before the bridge (3rd lane); P. Burgos Street, the fourth lane, close to McDonald’s and Jollibee; J.P. Second lane of the Rizal Avenue Extension; and J.P. Rizal Extension close to the second-lane stop sign.
Because there is less traffic on Metro Manila streets during Holy Week, MMDA Chair Don Artes stressed that this is a good time for contractors to finish their road construction and reblocking operations.
Requests for Traffic Remedies:
As calls to declare a state of traffic catastrophe increased, two senators pushed the government to come up with a tangible strategy to deal with the increasing traffic congestion.
In order to solve the situation, the government must take the advise of specialists from various sectors, according to Sen. Grace Poe, the chair of the Senate committee on public services.
The Management Association of the Philippines has called for immediate relief measures due to the increasing cost of traffic congestion, which is projected to be P3.5 billion per day for the economy.
The country’s traffic condition prompted the 17th Congress to establish the Telecommuting or Work from Home Law (Republic Act No. 11165), which was mentioned by Senate Majority Leader Sen. Joel Villanueva.
Echoing the conclusions of the TomTom Traffic Index, which classified Metro Manila as the world’s worst metro area traffic in 2023, Villanueva emphasized the significance of a comprehensive government plan to address the deteriorating traffic conditions.
