MORE alternate routes will be opened next week to further decongest traffic along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue this coming holiday season, the Metro Manila Development Authority announced on Wednesday.
MMDA acting chairman Thomas Orbos said aside from Camp Aguinaldo, the Inter-agency Council on Traffic will also open the Bonifacio Naval Station to accommodate private and public motorists coming to and from the areas of Makati, Taguig and neighboring cities.
Orbos said the decals or pass cards to be issued to motorists in Camp Aguinaldo will be honored to be able to enter the BNS facility. He said the motorists coming from Villamor Airbase in Pasay City going to Bonifacio Global City area and vice-versa can use the BNS to bypass the traffic snarl along Lawton Avenue.
At present, only vehicles of military personnel and those with decals or pass cards are allowed to pass and enter BNS going to Pasong Tamo Extension from Lawton Avenue.
Orbos said motorists wanting to avail of the route can apply for the issuance of a decal or pass card beginning today, November 24. The application forms will be available at the MMDA main office in Makati City.
Orbos said I-ACT is expecting that opening the gate of Naval Station will cut the travel time of motorists by at least 10 minutes.
The I-ACT is continuously finding ways and solutions to further improve the traffic condition in the metropolis, particularly along the 23.8-kilometer highway from Monumento Circle in Caloocan City to President Diosdado Macapagal Avenue in Pasay City.
The council is composed of the Department of Transportation, MMDA, Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group, Land Transportation Office, and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.
Last week, the MMDA announced that private motorists will allow to use Camp Aguinaldo as their alternate routes to lessen traffic on Edsa. The scheme will be implemented next week until January 15.
Camp Aguinaldo is one of the government properties identified as access road for motorists from EDSA-Santolan and Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City, vise versa.
Motorists have started filling up application forms to avail of the stickers that will serve as access gate to the camp. To get the stickers, motorists were advised to present Official Receipt/Certificate Registration 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.
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.
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.
Orbos said I-ACT is expecting to reduce at least 200 vehicles per hour when this route inside the military camp will be opened to vehicles.
He added the government 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. 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.
“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.