Traffic mgm’t dry run starts in LRT-2 extension

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) will hold the dry run for a traffic management plan (TMP) today as construction works for the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) Masinag Extension project is set to begin before the end of September.

“Mass transportation is a major solution to traffic, because it moves people more efficiently. The LRT-2 extension to Masinag is one of our many railway and bus modernization projects which are precisely designed to ease congestion in and around Metro Manila, so we are eager, and likewise it is imperative, to start works immediately,” DOTC Secretary Joseph Abaya said in a statement yesterday.

The LRT-2 Masinag Extension project covers the construction of a 3.9-kilometer fully-elevated viaduct along Marcos Highway and two additional stations  – one to be situated in front of Robinsons Metro East and Sta. Lucia East Grand Malls and the other at the Masinag Junction in Antipolo City.

The project, which will be operational in the third quarter of 2017, is expected to cater to an additional 75,000  passengers daily.

The project is also seen to ease traffic in the area by cutting travel time from Masinag to Recto  in Manila to only 36 minutes.

Total travel time takes over one-and a half hours when taking a jeepney or UV Express ride plus a transfer to the LRT-2 Santolan Station to get to Recto.

Under the TMP, sections of the outermost lanes of each side will be used for loading and unloading bays for public utility vehicles, while the remaining three lanes will be used for regular traffic, with the innermost open lane for U-turning vehicles, and the next lane for fast vehicles.

Three intersections along Marcos Highway will be opened for motorists: Felix Avenue Extension, Amang Rodriguez Intersection and De La Paz Intersection.

For each U-turn slot closed for construction works, another U-turn slot will be opened nearby to ensure traffic flow is not disrupted.

Six alternate routes have also been identified for motorists while  the LRT construction is ongoing. These are: Sumulong Highway, A. Rodriguez to J. Rizal, Felix Avenue to Fernando Avenue, Calle Industria, Kaginhawaan, and Ortigas Avenue Extension.

The TMP is currently under review by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

The dry run, which is part of the approval process, started at 4 a.m., with the Marcos Highway-Felix Avenue intersection opened to allow left turns for vehicles.

The same system will eventually be used for the Amang Rodriguez and De La Paz intersections, should the dry run be successful. – Louella Desiderio, Louise Maureen Simeon