Commuters seek new detour plan

Concerned commuters urged the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to include to the detour plan for the closure of the Tullahan Bridge at the boundary of Valenzuela City and Malabon, another logical scheme to enforce a U-turn slot exclusively for passenger jeepneys and FX taxis on both sides of the closed bridge.

The residents suggested that only passenger jeepneys and FX taxis could make U-turns on both ends of Tullahan Bridge when it is closed to traffic starting on March 16 to give way for the construction of a new bridge to replace the old dilapidated bridge.

The Tullahan Bridge project contractor R. C. Ramos Construction would start building a footbridge on Monday at the northbound side of the bridge to allow commuters to cross the Tullahan River.

The commuters said passenger vehicles coming from the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan City could make U-turns on the southside of the bridge and make the return trip to Caloocan.

Commuter vehicles from Valenzuela could also make U-turns on the northside of the bridge in front of the San Miguel Corp. to make the return trip to the north.

They said the U-turn slots to be exclusively used by light commuter vehicles will greatly ease the volume of vehicles that will pass in the narrow alternate routes prepared by the MMDA traffic experts.

Motorist have earlier complained that the narrow alternate routes will not work and a dry run conducted last week caused a montrous traffic jam along the detour route and forced authorities to reopen the bridge after a half-day dry run.

R. C. Ramos Construction Corp., said yesterday that the 73-year-old bridge reconstruction would go on as scheduled and the bridge would be totally closed to traffic on Friday.

"As far as we are concerned, our reconstruction project would start as scheduled on March 16," engineer Julius David of R.C. Ramos Construction told The STAR.

The MMDA was also urged to convince the management of the San Miguel Corp. plant near the bridge in Valenzuela City to allow passenger jeeps and light vehicles to pass through the company’s private bridge inside its compound which connects the SMC plant to to the Cosmos Bottling Corp. complex in Malabon as part of the detour plan.

"Everyday detour road suggestions are coming up but we can do nothing about that, our concern is only focus on the bridge reconstruction," David said.

The construction of the P60.5-million Tullahan Bridge on McArthur Highway at the boundary of Malabon and Valenzuela City was supposed to start last March 5, but it was moved to March 9 and again postponed to March 16 due to the problems encountered in the proposed alternative routes.

David said that only the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the MMDA could make changes in the construction schedule.

Valenzuela City Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian has been objecting to the impending closure of the Tullahan Bridge on Friday and urged the DPWH and the MMDA to call it off for another two months.

Gatchalian said that the suggested alternative routes would cause traffic jams, inconvenience passengers and motorists and also affect commerce because some of the alternate routes are undergoing construction.