THE Metro Manila Development Authority on Thursday said three alternate routes including Camp Aguinaldo will be opened to private vehicles to help decongest traffic along Edsa.
In a press conference of the Inter-Agency Council on Traffic held in MMDA headquarters in Makati City, MMDA General Manager Tim Orbos said some gates in Camp Aguinaldo will be open to private vehicles starting next week to Jan. 15, 2017.
Camp Aguinaldo is one of the government properties identified as access road for motorists from Epifanio delos Santos Avenue-Santolan and Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City, vise versa.
Orbos said motorists can start filling up application forms to avail of the stickers that will serve as access gate to the camp by Monday.
According to retired Brigadier Gen. Manny Gonzales, deputy chief of I-ACT, to acquire the stickers, just present Official Receipt/Certificate Registration (OR/CR) of vehicle and pay about P200.
The stickers will be put in the front windshield of the vehicle so it will be easily seen by the soldiers manning the gates of the camp, Gonzales said.
Orbos said the sticker is required for “security reasons.” “This is a privilege to the public to enter this grounds to ease traffic flow this Christmas,” Orbos said.
He said that private motorist can enter Camp Aguinaldo from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays.
Private vehicles from Katipunan going to Edsa can use Gate 6 in Boni Serrano and exit in Edsa-Santolan in Gate 3 and vice versa while vehicles from Boni Serrano can also use Gate 6 and exit to Gate 5 in White Plains going to C5.
Noemi Recio, head of MMDA’s traffic engineering center, said that they are expecting to reduce at least 200 vehicles per hour when this route inside the military camp will be opened to private vehicles.
Recio said that aside for the Camp Aguinaldo alternate route, the I-ACT will also open an alternate route—the right turning lane inside the Office of Transport Security in Pasay City and an access road in Buendia in Makati City.
She said that vehicles going to Domestic Road and Roxas Boulevard can use the alternate right turning lane inside OTS in Tramo and exit in Andrews Avenue to help lessen travel time.
“There will be a diversion road in such a way vehicles coming from Edsa turning to Domestic Road going to Roxas Boulevard will not cram and wait for the green light to the intersection. The access road will allow vehicles to enter and exit at Andrews Avenue towards Airport Road and reach Roxas Boulevard,” Recio explained.
Also, the I-ACT will tear down a wall on Edsa-Buendia area to provide an access road going to Jupiter Street in Makati City.
“We are hoping that all of these measures would be able to alleviate the worsening traffic congestion because of Christmas season,” Orbos said, noting that there are already early Christmas shoppers coming from nearby provinces that add up to the number of vehicles on the roads.
To guide motorists of the traffic adjustments, Orbos said they will install directional signs.