Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Danilo Lim announced today (Dec. 1) that the EDSA U-turn slot in Barangay Bagong Barrio will be closed on December 7.
Motorists are advised to take the following alternate routes:
· From northbound going southbound, affected vehicles may take the Monumento Circle
· Those coming from Quezon City may take Balintawak Cloverleaf
Signages have already been installed in the said U-turn slot to inform motorists about the impending closure.
Traffic along EDSA Busway will not be disrupted once all the U-turn slots are closed, the agency said.
Closure of the U-turn slots will reportedly make travel time along the major thoroughfare faster.
The MMDA has already closed six U-turn slots on EDSA – Trinoma (September 28), Quezon City Academy (October 12), Bansalangin (October 26), Muñoz (November 9), Kaingin (November 23), and Balintawak (November 23).
Because of the monstrous traffic caused by the closure of U-turn slots, Quezon City 1st District Rep. Anthony Peter "Onyx" D. Crisologo asked the MMDA to reconsider its decision to close seven U-turn slots along EDSA.
“Your efforts to explore options to ease the traffic are laudable, but your plan to close the seven U-turn slots will lead to no other result than exacerbate the traffic situation in the area,” Crisologo said in a letter addressed to the MMDA chairman.
“We request and urge you to re-evaluate, if not, reconsider, the closure of the seven U-turn slots. Instead, close three of four U-turn slots and open the intersection along the affected stretch of EDSA. This will give some relief to the motorists without significantly increasing the travel time of carousel buses,” Crisologo added.
MMDA has yet to respond to the lawmaker’s appeal.
The agency targets to close 13 U-turn slots by the end of this month.