Tandang Sora Flyover to be closed?
Saturday
Nov 27, 2004
Heard from a reliable source last week: Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando is planning to have the Tandang Sora Flyover closed (yes, the one along Commonwealth Avenue) in favor of U-turn slots.Now I’ve encountered complaints about MMDA’s resorting to making U-turns the norm in an attempt to improve Metro Manila’s traffic situation (read old but insightful articles here and here — links will open in new windows; ctrl-click in Firefox to open in a new tab), but this is plain silly. Imagine putting to waste an interchange that had cost millions in taxpayers’ money, and instead replacing it with a scheme that gives U-turning vehicles the right-of-way or priority over straight-through traffic.
Traffic lights and interchanges were invented for the very reason of allowing for better traffic management. If traffic situation in the Commonwealth-Tandang Sora intersection were to improve with this scheme, then Chairman Fernando deserves an inventor of the decade award!
I’m a fan of innovative thinking, considering myself to be an innovative person as well. And it can be argued that MMDA’s preference for a U-turn scheme has indeed brought about marked improvements in the traffic situation in some areas. But unless MMDA had been able to conclude a through study on the advantages of shifting to a U-turn scheme in this particular intersection/interchange, and unless the flyover has already passed its economic life, then it would be tantamount to going against what is supposedly an out-of-the-box thinking, since they may as well generalize that since the U-turns worked elsewhere then it should also work here.
And what will MMDA do with the abandoned flyover? Plant trees on it? (They had uprooted quite a number of trees over the past in their re-design/re-configuration of major thoroughfares in favor of U-turn slots.)
I hope Chairman BF just spoke about this as a joke.
** Image courtesy of Philstar.com
Comments
francis
June 10th, 2007 at 12:59 am
wow ganda
Rico Mario Baltazar
July 6th, 2008 at 7:12 am
Good! Excellent! Ganyan si Bayani Fernando before he makes a descision,Pinagaralan na nya ng maigi yan.Kaya wala munang personalan, suportahan natin ang mahusay na ideas ni BF para ang PINAS ay umunlad.Salamat po!
tyler durden
July 8th, 2009 at 7:51 am
Tandang Sora – Luzon avenue flyover set for completion this year
MANILA, June 25 (PNA)—The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Wednesday kicked off the construction of the P520-million Tandang Sora-Luzon Avenue flyover crossing Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City that will interconnect the North Luzon Expressway and the South Luzon Expressway.
According to Edilberto Tayao, Director, Public Works-National Capital Region, the infrastructure is one of the vital links in the 41-kilometer North Luzon Expressway – South Luzon Expressway flagship project of President Gloria Macapaga-Arroyo.
“We have started the implementation of this project which is in line with the instructions of the President to interconnect the two expressways and eventually to the Manila-Cavite Coastal Road in Las Pinas City via C-5,” he said.
On the other hand, Undersecretary Romeo Momo, in charge for Luzon operations, explained that the construction involves the completion of a flyover that would directly connect Tandang Sora Avenue (Old Balara side) to Luzon Avenue. It measures more than 500 lineal meters including approaches with four lanes at two lanes per direction.
He said the structure also has access or service roads on both sides for vehicles coming from and going to Commonwealth Avenue and C-5 and vice versa.
“Once the project is completed, it will be beneficial to all motorists and businessmen in the area,” Momo said.
Motorists especially those coming from Katipunan Avenue would no longer use U-turns slots in Commonwealth Avenue, to go to Luzon Avenue as the project directly connects both ways.
The implementation of the project is in coordination with the Quezon City government and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.
In August 2008, Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. signed an agreement with Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte taking the responsibility of securing the right-of-way issues and some civil works.
With this, the department asked the cooperation of the public since the construction would give inconvenience to them.
The project is set to be completed this year.(PNA)