MANILA – A moratorium on road diggings and excavations will be implemented by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), to start this November 1 and lasting until January 15 next year.
The move is in anticipation of the seasonal vehicular and pedestrian traffic during the Holiday Season.
Jojo Garcia, MMDA assistant general manager for planning, has met with representatives of the Department of Public Works and Highways, telecommunication companies, water and other utilities to thresh out details of the scheduled moratorium.
“We will start the moratorium after midnight of October 31,” Garcia said.
He said that those who attended the meeting were requested to submit a list of ongoing projects for possible exemption.
Aside from the reason why the road excavation is deemed necessary, photos of the road diggings with their exact locations are to be included in the request for exemption.
Meanwhile, Chairman Danilo Lim said road diggings should not affect roads that tend to be affected by heavy build up of traffic.
At present, only flagship projects undertaken by the national government are exempted from the moratorium, including bridge repair / construction, emergency leak repairs of water concessionaires, and construction of flood interceptors.
The agency also pointed out that there will be no digging or road works or repairs along the 17 Mabuhay Lanes – the designated alternate route of motorists who are avoiding EDSA.
Mabuhay Lanes are continuously being cleared of illegally parked vehicles and structures and make them easily accessible to motorists.
Private contractors, on the other hand, will need to stop their projects if these would hamper the traffic flow.
