The government announced on Friday that the closure of Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge, which connects the cities of Mandaluyong and Makati, will push through next week, Jan. 12 (Saturday).
The closure, according to the Metro Manila Development Authority, will be made following the demolition and reconstruction of the bridge which was initially set last September 2018.
The project, led by the Department of Public Works and Highways, aims to widen the bridge to four lanes from its present two lanes. Based on the DPWH timeline, the project will be completed in 2021.
The DPWH had decided to temporarily suspend the rehabilitation of the bridge, citing the monstrous traffic the construction works would create in the area, especially during the holiday season.
The agency warned that the bridge repair would further worsen the traffic congestion on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue as thousands of vehicles going in and out of Makati and Mandaluyong would be diverted to Guadalupe Bridge.
The DPWH and its private partner for the project, the China Road and Bridge Corp. were supposed to start the rehabilitation last September.
The bridge connects Estrella Street in Makati City and Barangka Drive in Mandaluyong City.
MMDA general manager Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. said the bridge will be demolished and replaced with a new and wider one for a period of 30 months.
“From two lanes, the replacement bridge will have four lanes,” said Garcia, adding that the repair work is just one of the projects under the government’s effort to address traffic in Metro Manila.
Other DPWH projects affecting traffic in Metro Manila are the repairs on Old Sta. Mesa Bridge, Nagtahan Bridge, Mabini Bridge, Concordia Bridge, Otis Bridge, and Sevilla Bridge.