If you thought last Monday’s traffic armageddon was worse enough traffic to experience on this first week of August, well…think again. Especially if you live in the southern part of Metro Manila and beyond.
The Department of Public Works and Highways has recently announced that the southbound portion of the Magallanes Interchange (the elevated road network at the intersection of EDSA and Osmeña Highway) will be closed to traffic due to the ongoing rehabilitation project of the said interchange.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for the meantime advised motorists to take the ground-level service road for the meantime while rehabilitation works in the interchange are ongoing; you can expect traffic in that segment to be more congested during that period. Aside from that, no information has been given of possible alternate routes available, leaving the poor commuters on their own to figure it out.
Such closure, temporary as it may be, will no doubt have a huge negative impact especially among southbound commuters, especially if one takes into account that the interchange serves as an important gateway to the south where thousands of vehicles pass through each day. As was noted in a previous entry, this is another fine example of how lacking the current metropolitan road network is, no thanks to lack of foresight and proper urban planning.
One can only hope that the rehabilitation works in the interchange will turn out fine. Otherwise, it will be another good reason to unleash a heap of curses on the DPWH and MMDA.
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Meanwhile, the issue of the Common Station took another turn as the Supreme Court imposed a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the planned building of the Common Station across Trinoma by the Department of Transportation and Communication. (DOTC)
This came after the SM Group went to the high court to stop the agency from its plan to transfer the site of the common station from the original intended site across SM North EDSA as was originally agreed upon, something the DOTC contends was an agreement that already lapsed.
In any case, the DOTC and its “brilliant” Sec. Jun Abaya has come up with a solution to “appease” SM: they will build instead a “mini-station” across SM North EDSA for the existing Line 1 and the planned Line 7 while Line 1 and 3 will still be served by the Trinoma Station.
If that is the plan, then…WHAT THE F#*K HAPPENED TO THE ORIGINAL INTENT OF THE COMMON STATION WHICH WAS MEANT TO BE FOR ALL 3 STATIONS IN THE FIRST PLACE?
Second, isn’t the original reason (supposedly) for the Common Station to be built across Trinoma was to save money? If so, wouldn’t this plan, make them spend more, perhaps even more than what they could have spent if they just thought with brains instead of their rear ends to go ahead with the original plan of the common station anyway?
Poor future Line 7 commuters who are still going to be in the losing end in this, thanks to the sheer “genius” of the DOTC, headed by Abaya.
Thank you for your “brilliant” ideas for the detriment of transportation, Sec. Jun Abaya. I can’t wait to see you out of the DOTC and our lives really, really soon before you mess things up further.
Acknowledgments as well to Rappler and Topgear Philippines
