Portions of both the north and southbound lanes of Meralco Avenue in Pasig City will be closed starting next month until 2028 to pave the way for the construction of the Metro Manila Subway Project — an undertaking seen to snarl traffic in the area and inconvenience motorists.
The Department of Transportation on Sunday said the road closure will start on 3 October as it sets to start building the underground train lines at Shaw Boulevard Station.
Meralco Avenue will serve as the project's access point to the subway's Shaw Boulevard Station. The closure will cover the front section of Capitol Commons up to the corner of Shaw Boulevard.
"Motorists are advised to take alternative routes to be provided by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and the City Governments of Pasig and Mandaluyong," the DoTr said.
Public utility jeepneys from Meralco Avenue going to Shaw Boulevard will be rerouted to Captain Henry Javier Street to Danny Floro Street and vice versa, while modernized jeepneys should traverse Dona Julia Vargas Avenue to San Miguel Avenue and vice versa.
Meanwhile, UV Express units will be asked to detour from Doña Julia Vargas Avenue to San Miguel Avenue or Anda Road to Camino Verde. According to the DoTr, all available routes are accessible for private vehicles.
The Metro Manila Subway Project, dubbed the project of the century, will be the country's first underground mass transit system.
Funded by the Japanese government, the subway is a 33-kilometer rail line that will stretch from Valenzuela City to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City, reducing travel time between Quezon City and NAIA from one hour and 10 minutes to just 35 minutes.
Once operational, the underground mass system will cut across eight cities in Metro Manila, passing three central business districts, and service up to 370,000 passengers daily.
