DPWH chief: Monday morning EDSA traffic jam not caused by road projects

The monstrous traffic jam along EDSA that greeted motorists Monday morning after the Holy Week was caused by the sheer volume of vehicles and not due to unfinished road projects, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson said.

In an interview on GMA News TV's News To Go, Singson said the DPWH has opened all roads closed for reblocking projects except for a portion of Guadalupe in front of Robinsons Place Pioneer. He said the ongoing road work in the area was not the reason for heavy traffic since it is not considered a major traffic choke point.

“Ang problematic chokepoint ngayong umaga ay yung entrance sa Makati underpass, yung nasa harap ng Forbes [Park Subdivision]... Dahil na ‘yan sa volume ng mga sasakyan. Pero kagabi pa, nabuksan na namin ‘yung mga daan from Magallanes to Guadalupe Bridge, except yung portion sa tapat ng mall,” Singson said.

The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) reported moderate to heavy traffic flow from Balintawak to Arnaiz Avenue in Makati at 8:05 a.m.
 

In a separate interview, MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino attributed the traffic jam along EDSA to the continuing exodus of motorists back to Metro Manila from their Holy Week vacation in the provinces.

“Marami pang nag-uuwian galing sa probinsya. May pagdagsa pa rin ng sasakyan galing sa NLEX at SLEX. Siguro later on during the day, magno-normalize na ang traffic,” he said.

The MMDA earlier announced that several road reblocking projects will take place along EDSA from Holy Wednesday to Easter Sunday.

Tolentino said that despite a contractor’s failure to begin work on some road reblocking projects on Maundy Thursday as scheduled, all road works have been completed as of Monday.

But Tolentino said he expects traffic to improve in the coming days since the MMDA will no longer undertake weekly road reblocking projects after several parts of EDSA went through a major overhaul during the Holy Week. — Xianne Arcangel/RSJ, GMA News