Magallanes Interchange repair starts today

MANILA, Philippines - The repair and asphalt overlaying at the Magallanes Interchange will start tonight, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said yesterday.

The MMDA said the repair work will be done from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily.

From its original schedule of eight months, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) agreed to complete the project in five and a half months, or 165 calendar days.

The DPWH submitted yesterday a compressed work schedule as required by the MMDA.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino asked DPWH engineers to deploy traffic personnel to assist the motorists affected by the closure of portions of the interchange.

He also urged the DPWH to put up signs stating the expected completion date of the repair work so as to inform the public.

The repair of the Magallanes Interchange includes the replacement of railings, steel expansion joints, and patching up of cracks.

The MMDA and DPWH closed portions of the Magallanes Interchange Tuesday night as part of preparations for the repair.

Tolentino said the one-hour closure of the Manila-SLEX portion of the interchange aimed to simulate the expected impact of the repair work on traffic flow.

“What we want to do here is to see how it would affect the vehicular traffic in the area. As much as possible, we don’t want the public to suffer. We have to be careful and study this matter seriously,” he said.