The State of the Nation Address always comes with protests, promises, platitudes, and monstrous traffic.
This year, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) released the traffic re-routing scheme early. They have also advised motorists to take alternate routes while major sections of Commonwealth Avenue are closed to vehicular traffic.
In an advisory, the MMDA said the whole stretch of Commonwealth Avenue, coverning both northbound and southbound lanes from Quezon Memorial Circle/Philcoa to Fairview (Fairview Center Mall) were cleared at exactly midnight and any illegally parked vehicles were towed.
*Only two left lanes on the northbound side will be opened, the other lanes in front of the St. Peters Parish and Convergy’s Building will be blocked by container vans and concrete barriers.
*Rerouting from U-Turn slot in front of Jocfer Building and Omni Tire Supply passing south bound up to San Simon U-Turn slot (1-6 km- counter flow) has started as early as 5 a.m.
*Four southbound lanes will be used by motorists leading to (Fairview) direction via reverse flow of traffic.
*Motorists coming from Tivoli Royale and other subdivisions at the back of Ever Gotesco should use the Jocfer U-turn slot.
*The available U-turn slots prior to Jocfer will be used as the alternate U-turn slot for motorists travelling towards Fairview areas.
*Motorists from Capitol Estates 1 will be used as the U-turn slot fronting St. Peter Church to get to the northbound (Fairview area) or southbound (EDSA areas.)
*Traffic on the nine lanes of Commonwealth Avenue will resume to normal after the San Simon U-turn slot for motorists on their way to Fairview areas.
*At 12 noon, the IBP road will be declared one-way traffic (the road leading to the House of Representatives). It will be cleared for vehicles coming from Commonwealth, Filinvest 1, Sinagtala, San Mateo Road, Filinvest 2 on their way to HOR, Fairview and Commonwealth Avenue (All right turn only).
*The opposite direction leading to Sandiganbayan underpass and Commonwealth Avenue shall be for the exclusive use of vehicles coming from the House of Representatives until the SONA is finished.
*Meanwhile, as an exemption, members of Congress coming from San Mateo will be allowed to turn left going to Batasan.
*Alternate routes that may be used to decongest Commonwealth Avenue : Congressional Avenue, turn left to Mindanao Avenue, turn right to Sauyo Road , turn left to Chestnut, turn right to Dahli and turn left to Regalado Avenue to reach Fairview Center Mall where motorists can proceed either to northbound and southbound direction.
*For motorists from Fairview area, they may take the same route (opposite direction) on their way to Quezon Memorial Circle or EDSA.
*IBP Litex Road will be closed for motorists coming from Montalban/Rodriguez Area and will take Soliven Street in going to Commonwealth Ave and Fairview Area.
The MMDA advisory also said that traffic flow along Commonwealth Avenue and IBP/Batasan Road will back to normal by 6 p.m.
The MMDA has reportedly fielded 1,200 of its personnel to ensure orderly traffic near Batasan complex and an extra 100 or more to manage crowd control during the SONA. Emergency personnel, fire trucks and ambulances will also be on standby.
