By Aerol John Pateña
Gymnasium
MANILA -- The Metropolitan Manila Development (MMDA) advised motorists to avoid
Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) and other roads in Metro Manila as a night
time convoy dry run will be conducted on Nov. 8, 2017 in preparation for the
31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.
A
modified stop-and-go scheme will be implemented along the convoy route from the
Diosdado Macapagal International Airport at Clark in Pampanga to the roads in
the southern part of Metro Manila from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m.
Heavy
traffic is expected along the ASEAN routes, according to MMDA Task Force for
ASEAN head Emmanuel Miro.
“It
will be the sixth and final convoy dry run. This time, the convoy practice will
simulate night-time scenario,” Miro said in a statement.
The
affected routes for the ASEAN are: Clark Complex in Pampanga; along SCTEX from
Clark to NLEX; along NLEX from SCTEX to Balintawak; along Edsa from Balintawak
to Magallanes; along Diokno from Entertainment City to Buendia; along Ayala
Avenue from Edsa to Makati Avenue; along Makati Avenue from Ayala to Pasay
Road; along Pasay Road from Edsa to Amorsolo; along Lawton from 5th Avenue to
30th Avenue; and along McKinley Road from Edsa to 15th Avenue.
EDSA
will be cleared at certain periods to give way for vehicles carrying the
foreign leaders and delegates while orange barriers will be installed from
Balintawak to Magallanes to delineate two inner lanes for the convoy run.
Motorists
are expected to experience traffic congestion in the southbound area of Cubao.
“We
will clear the affected routes so we advise motorists plying Edsa to use the C5
Road and the Mabuhay lanes,” according to Miro.
Trucks
should likewise avoid the routes because they will be temporarily stopped to
give way to the convoy.
According
to Miro, the last dry run is necessary to ensure seamless coordination of
traffic management plans for the travel of delegates going to their hotels and
venue in Pasay City and to test the new vehicles and equipment that will be
used during the actual summit.
Several
convoy dry runs have been conducted as part of the preparations aimed to test
various scenarios, light conditions, and intervals on routes during daytime.
For
his part, MMDA Assistant General Manager for Operations Jojo Garcia said the
agency is considering whether to suspend the number coding scheme on November
13 to 15 which were proclaimed special nonworking holidays in the National
Capital Region and the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga.
“We
have yet to assess the circumstances whether to implement the number coding
scheme during the summit,” according to Garcia.
The
MMDA official said the three-day suspension of work for private, government
offices and classes would help them in managing traffic during the summit.
The
Metro Manila mayors also suspended classes at all levels in Metro Manila for
private and public schools on Nov. 16 and 17. (PNA)
