DOTC to start dry run of LRT2 Masinag extension traffic plan

Chrisee Dela Paz

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DOTC to start dry run of LRT2 Masinag extension traffic plan
The proposed traffic management plan of the transportation department is seen to ease expected heavy traffic in Marikina, Cainta, and Antipolo due to the LRT2 extension project

MANILA, Philippines — The government will conduct a dry run of its proposed traffic management plan on Saturday, August 29, ahead of construction works for the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT2) Masinag Extension project in September.

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) announced on Friday, August 28 that they will open the Marcos Highway-Felix Avenue intersection to allow left turns for vehicles.

The agencies will also deploy flag men and install signages to assist motorists as soon as construction of the LRT2 Masinag Extension project starts.

The LRT2 Masinag Extension project covers the construction of a 3.9-kilometer fully-elevated viaduct along Marcos Highway and two additional stations – one situated in front of the Robinsons Metro East and Sta Lucia East Grand Malls; the other near the Masinag Junction in Antipolo City.

Once construction is in full swing, project contractor D.M. Consunji, Incorporated (DMCI) said the entire stretch will have reduced lanes for traffic: the current 5 lanes per direction will be down to 4 lanes each, as the innermost lanes of both directions will be closed down.

DMCI said it has started initial test pitting, spanning a 300-meter section along the center island of Marcos Highway.

Actual construction works, according to the construction firm, will start near the Sta Lucia East Grand Mall, and will be executed by two teams working in opposite directions towards the Masinag Junction and the Santolan Station.

If the dry run of the traffic management scheme succeeds, the same system will eventually be used for the Amang Rodriguez and De La Paz intersections.

Under the proposed traffic management plan, sections of the outermost lanes of each side will be used for loading and unloading bays for public utility vehicles (PUVs). 

The remaining 3 lanes, meanwhile, will be used for regular traffic, with the innermost open lane for U-turning vehicles, and the next lane for fast vehicles.

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) will deploy personnel to help enforce road discipline, such as proper loading and unloading at designated stops only, during construction.

LTO added that traffic signages will be put up and 132 flag men will be deployed to guide motorists.

Movable waiting sheds, which may be transferred as construction progresses, will also be provided for commuters at designated loading and unloading areas.
 
Marcos Highway accommodates a volume of 5,172 vehicles per hour on the westbound lane and 705 vehicles per hour on the eastbound lane during morning peak hours, according to the DOTC.

For the evening peak hours, the DOTC said there are around 4,219 vehicles per hour on the westbound lane and 3,157 vehicles per hour on the eastbound lane.

The agencies said adjustments will be made as necessary, depending on the effect on traffic.

“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 work immediately,” DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said.

Once the project is completed in the third quarter of 2017, travel time from Masinag to Recto will be down to only 36 minutes from the current one hour to 1.5 hours.

The project is projected to cater to an additional 75,000 daily passengers, easing traffic in the area. – Rappler.com

 

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