MMDA finishes EDSA repair before Monday rush hour, but...

(Updated 12:31 p.m.) Authorities averted a nightmarish Monday morning rush-hour traffic jam as it completed its repair work on portions of Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) before dawn. Radio dzBB's Mao dela Cruz reported early Monday that the MMDA removed the barriers to vehicular traffic along portions of the northbound lane of EDSA at 2:45 a.m. Without any warning to the public, workers started re-blocking portions of the northbound lane of EDSA Friday night, causing traffic jams from the Cubao to Mandaluyong areas during the weekend. However, traffic flow was snarled again along EDSA before Monday noon. In a phone interview with GMANews.TV, MMDA general manager Roberto Nacianceno said a vehicular accident in the C-5-Pasig area forced motorists to take EDSA instead. "Traffic ulit sa may EDSA, bandang Cubao area, kasi may tumaob na truck sa Pasig Bridge, Makati-bound lane, doon sa may C-5. So yung mga dumadaan ng C-5, sa EDSA na lang dumaan," Nacianceno said. (Traffic at the EDSA-Cubao area was jammed again because a truck turned over at the Pasig Bridge, Makati-bound lane at the C-5 Road. Thus, motorists plying C-5 were forced to take EDSA.) On Sunday, Nacianceno admitted that his agency needs to coordinate with the Department of Public Works and Highways to at least inform motorists about such repair work in advance. "Dapat they should be responsible to inform the public may ganong klaseng major repair or concrete reblocking. There was a time pinadidiyaryo ng DPWH, nakaligtaan siguro yan," Nacianceno said on the MMDA's Sunday program on dzBB. (The DPWH should be responsible to inform the public of such major repairs. There was a time the DPWH would even announce the repairs in the newspapers. It may have forgotten to do so.) - with Sophia Dedace/HGS/RSJ, GMANews.TV