Sucat Interchange closure on hold

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Motorists south of Metro Manila can relax for now after the temporary postponement of a planned 45-day repair of the Sucat Interchange Bridge.

The repairs were supposed to begin on Saturday, August 2 and end by September 15.

In a statement earlier on Wednesday, July 30, Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez said the Department of Public Works and Highways advised city residents to brace for heavier traffic once the DPWH closes the east-bound lane of the bridge.

In another statement released later on the same day, Olivarez said the city government and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) put the project on hold “because the DPWH failed to notify the MMDA and the city government in advance.”

“This should give us more time to prepare contingency measures and alternative routes to mitigate the effect of the bridge repair on our constituents and motorists,” Olivarez said, adding that they only knew about the project on Friday, July 25.

According to Olivarez, areas that will be affected the most by the bridge closure include the entire stretch of Dr A. Santos Avenue (Sucat Road) and the East and West Service Roads of the South Luzon Expressway in both the Parañaque and Muntinlupa sides.

Truck ban, color coding

Earlier, Olivarez said he told the city’s traffic management office to come up with alternative routes for motorists affected by the repairs. Even with the suspension of the project, the mayor said they are looking at introducing a truck ban in the city.

“Even without the interchange bridge repair, traffic is already too heavy along Dr. A. Santos Avenue and other major thoroughfares in the city, so we are leaning towards the implementation of a selective truck ban along major roads in the coming weeks,” said Olivarez.

The city’s major roads – Sucat Road, Ninoy Aquino Avenue, Quirino Avenue, and the East and West Service Roads – would be where the ban will take effect. Should the truck ban be implemented, it will cover heavy trailer trucks, container vans, transit mixers, and haulers of sand and aggregates.

Olivarez added the planned truck ban is already under an existing city ordinance which has yet to be fully implemented because of traffic coming from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the city’s many businesses.

“Hopefully, this will help alleviate traffic in the city, and should contribute to lesser traffic jams if and when the DPWH resumes the repair work on the Sucat Interchange,” said Olivarez in the statement. – Bea Cupin/Rappler.com