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Practically the same thing happens every year — so we don’t know why anyone would still be surprised by the Holy Week Exodus traffic.
“The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Friday activated its ‘Operation Plan (Oplan) Metro Alalay Semana Santa’ for the coming Holy Week as it advised motorists to leave the metro early for their trek to the provinces,” reports Mike Frialde on Philstar.com.
The report noted: “MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino said motorists leaving for the provinces on Maundy Thursday might find themselves struggling with traffic jams as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will be repairing and reblocking some portions of EDSA and the C-5 Road during that period.
Thus, Tolentino advised motorists to leave Metro Manila before the Holy Week road reblocking operations start on Thu, April 2 at 12:01am. This particular road reblocking phase will last until Apr 5.
The report added that “in anticipation of the Holy week Exodus, as well as an upcoming holiday, the MMDA has also suspended the ‘number coding’ scheme on April 1 (Holy Wednesday), April 6 (Monday after Easter Sunday) and April 9 (Araw ng Kagitingan).”
As for the Holy Week road reblocking, here are the affected roads:
SOUTHBOUND
—along Mindanao Avenue from Road 8 to North Avenue (1st Lane) ——along E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue / C-5 between Poseidon St. and Greenmeadows Avenue (2nd lane from sidewalk)
—along EDSA between Connecticut to Guadalupe Bridge, Mandaluyong City
—along EDSA from Guadalupe Station to Estrella Street (4th and 5th lanes)
—along C-5 Road Pasig Blvd. to Bagong Ilog Service Road
NORTHBOUND
—along EDSA Guadalupe Bridge to Temple Drive
—along C-5 Road from Valle Verde / Resins Inc. to SM Warehouse (2nd outermost lane)
—along EDSA from Buendia to Escuela Street (4th and 5th lane)
