By Leslie D. Venzon
MANILA, Sept. 16 (PNA) — Malacanang on Wednesday assured the public that the government is continuously making tremendous efforts towards solving or easing the traffic congestion in Metro Manila.
“This (traffic) is a major concern for the motorists and we want to make sure that this issue of traffic will be solved on a daily basis, making improvements in the whole system, and that is why it’s a work in progress,” said Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda in a Palace press briefing.
Lacierda noted the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (HPG) is continuously analyzing and looking at ways to improve the flow of traffic, especially on EDSA.
“That means also ensuring that the collateral streets, the peripheral streets are also cleared of certain traffic so that vehicles may be able to use alternate routes other than EDSA,” he added.
The Palace official also expressed hope of hastening infrastructure development to ease traffic flow.
Lacierda particularly cited the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) connector road project which will enable commuters to travel from North to South or South to North in 15 minutes without going through EDSA.
The Php23.2-billion project, which is up for approval by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board, involves the construction and operation and maintenance (O&M) of an eight-kilometer, four-lane elevated expressway over the Philippine National Railway (PNR) right-of-way.
It starts from C-3 Road in Caloocan through Manila crossing Espana towards Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Sta. Mesa connecting Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3.
“So that is one of the major infrastructure reforms that we are also looking at and we hope to do that. And also, as soon as we finish all the infrastructure improvements in National Capital Region, especially in Metro Manila, some of the traffic will be able to move more smoothly,” Lacierda further said. (PNA)