To help ease traffic congestion on the northbound lanes of Edsa, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has reopened the Dario Bridge U-turn slot in Quezon City on Tuesday.
“This would benefit the motorists because they can make a U-turn easily with a shorter route,” said MMDA Chairman Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. during the reopening of U-turn slot at Dario Bridge.
He said that the U-turn slot will not only help decongest traffic but reduce motorists’ travel time in the area.
Abalos added that he had already coordinated with the private contractor of the Common Station connecting the Metro Rail Transit and Light Rail Transit, a project of the Department of Transportation, which is located between SM North Edsa and Trinoma in Quezon City.
“I have requested BF Corporation to move back their fences at their work area to open more lanes for passing motorists and filled it with gravel so traffic obstruction could be avoided,” Abalos stressed.
Abalos said the U-turn slot was previously closed to give way to the Edsa Bus Carousel. However, traffic studies showed that opening the slot would improve traffic flow in the area.
Abalos assured the agency is in constant coordination with concerned government agencies to improve mobility and keep traffic flow moving in the Metropolis amid the increase in the number of vehicles on the road.
“The next big thing in the next two years is the widening of the Balintawak area, one of the traffic-prone areas, that would widen the area to five lanes. The Department of Public Works and Highways [DPWH] shall work on the project for a period of one to two years,” said Abalos.
He revealed that there is also a proposal to widen the stretch near Camps Aguinaldo and Crame also in Quezon City.
To open more alternate routes, the agency shall also intensify its road clearing operations on Mabuhay lanes, together with the Department of the Interior and Local Government and local government units.
“We shall intensify the clearing of Mabuhay lanes so they can be accessible, free from illegal obstructions,” the MMDA chief said.
Abalos added he believes that mass transportation and ongoing infrastructure projects are the additional solutions to reduce the volume of traffic in the Metropolis.
The number of vehicles on the road, he noted, is beginning to increase with the gradual return to normal of public activities in Metro Manila.
