The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) warned motorists to prepare for the worst traffic ever as it announced on Thursday that the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge or the Rockwell Bridge, would be closed on Sunday.
MMDA General Manager Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. said the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge, which connects Mandaluyong City to Makati City’s posh Rockwell area, would be closed at 8 a.m. on Sunday.
Some 100,000 vehicles traverse the bridge daily.
“This traffic is even worse than the ‘worst’ that we declared during the last meeting,” Garcia told reporters.
The Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge will be the fourth bridge closed for repairs. The Nagtahan and Old Sta. Mesa bridges were closed in September, while Otis Bridge in Paco, Manila was closed in June.
The Guadalupe Bridge will also be rehabilitated in the first quarter of 2019.
The closure of the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge was scheduled on Thursday, but it was postponed.
“We ask for the patience and discipline of motorists and public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers to help us in solving and easing the traffic gridlocks in the coming days,” Garcia said.
The MMDA said it was trying to convince the Department of Transportation to lift the coding scheme on PUVs to help ease the traffic. It also urged commuters and motorists to carpool to and from work.
MMDA Special Operations Commander Edison “Bong” Nebrija said towing operations would be bolstered.
The agency is also considering a 400-percent hike on fines for illegal parking violators. If implemented, the P500 fine would go up to P2,000.