C5-Kalayaan Elevated U-Turns Inaugurated

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo led yesterday the formal opening of two elevated U-turn slots on C-5 Road in Makati City, shortly after she arrived from her official visits to Egypt and Syria.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando and other local officials welcomed the President as she headed the 200-meter inaugural drive aboard a pickup truck.

During a short briefing on the project, Fernando said the P350-million road project would ease traffic on the 24-kilometer C-5 Road.

He added that the interchange near the corner of C-5 and Kalayaan Avenue in Barangay (village) East Rembo would help save over P1 billion in terms of gasoline and man hours lost due to heavy traffic in the area during rush hour.

With the completion of the U-turn slots, Fernando said the average speed of vehicles passing by the highway would reach at least 43.6 kilometers per hour, or more than double the present average speed.

The project, he added, was part of Arroyo’s 10-point agenda which she presented in her State of the Nation Address in 2007.

“Mission accomplished ma’am. I hope you like it,” Fernando told Arroyo who, he said, had instructed him to build a seamless connection between the North and South Luzon Expressways through the C-5 highway.

“I hope this would lessen traffic in your jurisdiction,” Arroyo told local officials who joined the mid-morning program.

Funded by the MMDA, an attached agency under the Office of the President, Fernando said the project was the first of its kind in the world.

Unlike underpasses, he said an elevated U-turn slot does not require lighting for 24 hours.

“We also don’t have to install water pumps to keep it safe from floodwaters. The government will save a lot of money because an elevated U-turn slot only needs minimal supervision,” Fernando explained.

Pateros Mayor Joey Medina said the new interchange would benefit his constituents as C-5 serves as the main thoroughfare going in and out of Pateros.

Taguig City Mayor Freddie Tiñga also welcomed the construction of the elevated U-turn slots, saying it will help them manage traffic within the Bonifacio Global City, the city’s main business district.

Inquirer.net

Related posts:

1. C5-Kalayaan Elevated U-Turn Work Starts
2. Motorists Advised to Avoid C-5-Kalayaan Intersection
3. Country’s First Elevated U-turn Now Open on C-5
4. MMDA: U-turn Slot Speeds up C-5 Road Travel by 90%
5. MMDA Pushes for More Elevated U-Turns in Metro Manila