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Friday, March 29, 2024

MMDA: Chaotic Edsa if repairs forge ahead

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The Metro Manila Development Authority has asked the Department of Public Works and Highways to put on hold the planned repair work along  Epifanio de los Santos Avenue  which will coincide with  the holding of  the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit this November.

Formula for chaos. Road repairs along Edsa coinciding with the  staging of
the Apec Summit in November will bring about chaos in Metro Manila’s
major thoroughfare, according to the Metro Manila Development Authority.
File photo by MANNY PALMERO

MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino said if the road repairs will push through, the traffic scenario along EDSA and other major thoroughfares will be “chaotic” and the public would suffer more.

“I don’t understand. Most of the (APEC) activities will be held in the area of Macapagal (President Diosdado Macapagal Avenue) and MOA (SM Mall of Asia). Hindi naman everyday dadaan sa EDSA,” he said in a television interview.

Public Works  Secretary Rogelio Singson said earlier he would discuss with the MMDA if they could repair some portions of EDSA, from Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City, or Gil Puyat Avenue to Guadalupe in Makati City.

He said the DPWH-National Capital Region Office under the supervision of   director Engineer Reynaldo Tagudando needs from 60 to 90 days to repair damaged portions of EDSA.

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But Tolentino said “This is not the time (to repair EDSA) because of the onset of the rainy season.”

“Just like what happened to Ayala Bridge (rehabilitation), it should be completed this June, but until now it is not yet finished,” Tolentino added.  

Lawyer Emerson Carlos, MMDA assistant general manager for operations, had cautioned the DPWH against pushing through with the rehabilitation of EDSA without the agency’s approval.

The MMDA has the final say on the issuance of permits for government road projects in Metro Manila.

The DPWH’s planned major rehabilitation of EDSA has been put on hold due to, among others, traffic-related issues raised by the MMDA.

Carlos said that apart from the traffic management plan, the DPWH should also   consult with the stakeholders who will be affected by the EDSA repair works.

DPWH officials said the major rehabilitation of the 23-kilometer EDSA would be completed before the end of the administration of President Benigno Aquino III in June 2016.

One of these road rehabilitation technologies is the high-grade polymer modified bitumen, or PMB asphalt from Singapore.

The DPWH said it had completed the Detailed Engineering Design of the EDSA project as early as April 2013.

Meanwhile, airport authorities laid down their plans for the country’s hosting of the Apec Summit when state officials are expected to start arriving days before the summit date on Nov. 18, 2015.

MIAA general manager Jose Angel Honrado in a meeting with airline operators Tuesday set a protocol where runways will be closed as soon as jets bearing the  heads of state have parked.

At least 22 aircraft parking slots have been reserved for  use of the heads of state in Manila.

To make way for delayed flights, Honrado said, scheduled runway closures for maintenance service during the early hours of the morning will be lifted until APEC participants leave Manila.

Airline operators vowed to make sure that passenger operations will run smoothly as the NAIA accommodates Apec participants.  With Eric Apolonio

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