The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday said motorists should expect heavy traffic in the Edsa-Tramo area, particularly those traveling northbound, in the coming days.
Jojo Garcia, acting MMDA general manager, said the agency has given the clearance for rail-adjustment works of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 to be completed this month on a portion of Edsa in the jurisdiction of Pasay City.
“The train rails need to be fixed in preparation for the additional coaches of the MRT 3,” said Garcia, who met with the officials of AsiaPhil, the private contractor of the project, last Monday.
The MRT’s expansion works intend to increase the capacity of the train rails from the existing three to four.
Garcia said the private contractor of the Department of Transportation would occupy up to 30 meters of Edsa’s innerlane in Tramo area beside MRT wall as work area.
“We will try to retain the four to five lanes for private and public-utility vehicles,” Garcia said, adding that the contractor vowed not to expand their works beyond the designated area without prior notice from the MMDA.
The rail-adjustment works would last for a month.
But while the MMDA has given its go signal, Garcia said the private contractor has yet to secure clearance from the Pasay City local government so it could proceed with the project.
“This early, we want to advise the public of the project for the MRT under the ‘Build, Build, Build’ program,” Garcia said.
He added that traffic enforcers will be deployed in the area to avoid public inconvenience when the project starts.