Gov’t urged to plan ahead of anticipated heavy traffic amid road and bridge works

A LAWMAKER on Monday urged the Public Works department and Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to craft plans to manage the expected heavier traffic as bridges in the Philippine capital undergo repairs this year.

In a statement, Manila Rep. Rolando M. Valeriano said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) should also reveal how they plan on doing maintenance work on flood control projects in the National Capital Region (NCR).

“DPWH has yet to present to the House Committee on Metro Manila Development how they and MMDA will manage the massive collateral impact on traffic and the daily lives of NCR residents and businesses, considering there are at least 19 other bridges DPWH has programmed this year in NCR,” said Mr. Valeriano, who heads the House Metro Manila panel.

A 2018 Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) study showed that traffic congestion in Metro Manila costs the Southeast Asian nation P3.5 billion a day.

At least 17 bridges are set for repairs, including the Guadalupe Bridge connecting Makati and Mandaluyong, which will undergo anti-earthquake reinforcement. Two bridges will also be replaced, according to the lawmaker.

“The seismic retrofitting of Guadalupe Bridge is the most important. P600 million is budgeted for that, with the JICA loan component at P342.589 million and the National Government counterpart funding at P258.262 million,” he said.

“There are also dozens of preventive maintenance works and flood control projects the DPWH has listed for 2025. We must see from DPWH how they will manage all of these and make sure they get it all done,” he added.

The MMDA in early February met with President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to discuss the government’s five-year traffic management plan as well as plans to start rehabilitation of the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) by March.

MMDA Chairman Romando S. Artes said the five-year Comprehensive Traffic Management Plan includes upgrading traffic regulation and enforcement, developing a traffic management database, upgrading the traffic signal system, and improving intersections and traffic corridors.

Manila was the 14^th most congested city in the world, with an average travel time of 32 minutes, according to the latest edition of the TomTom Trafﬁc Index.

The index assessed cities and metropolitan areas across 62 countries by their congestion and travel times and how many hours commuters stuck in trafﬁc have lost. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio