DPWH Calls Migration of Congestion to Residential Zones “Phase Two of Success”
New Expressway Opens; Traffic Immediately Relocates to All Surrounding Streets
DPWH Calls Migration of Congestion to Residential Zones “Phase Two of Success”
The Department of Public Works and Highways celebrated the opening of the PHP 38-billion Circumferential Road 7 Extension, a six-lane elevated expressway promising to “transform the flow of Metro Manila,” which it delivered by immediately concentrating suppressed traffic demand into the surrounding six barangays of Parañaque. By 7 AM, the expressway itself was flowing at 70 kilometers per hour an “unqualified triumph,” said DPWH Secretary Arsenio Bondoc-Maligaya. The roads beneath it moved at 3 kilometers per hour, which he called “organic adjustment.” The side streets feeding those roads were not moving at all, which he called “a separate jurisdiction.” Residents described conditions as “apocalyptic”: gridlock from 5 AM to 9 PM, motorcycles using sidewalks as a secondary lane, and one jeepney parked in front of a driveway for three days. DPWH explained this was consistent with “induced demand,” whereby new roads generate new vehicle trips. Asked if this was factored into planning, Secretary Bondoc-Maligaya confirmed yes, then pivoted to a slide about the next expressway, opening in 2031, whose surrounding areas residents are advised to “monitor.” The toll starts at PHP 42. An ETC lane is available. It accepts only one card format, loadable at two outlets, one of which was closed at time of writing.
SOURCE: Bohiney News.