There have been many attempts at solving traffic congestion on Commonwealth Avenue over the years, including countless road-widening activities, removing intersections in favor of U-turn slots, constructing a flyover, removing said flyover, and establishing a motorcycle lane. Long-time Quezon City residents who traverse the highway daily will know just how well those ‘solutions’ have worked.
With the partial operation of the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) pegged for the end of 2025, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is now eyeing two solutions that, in its opinion, could help manage traffic flow on Commonwealth: a tunnel and a bus lane.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
KTM, Husqvarna to have new PH distributor; manufacturing to continue in Laguna
Did Nissan PH give a sneak peek of the Magnite B-SUV for PIMS 2024?
Commonwealth Avenue tunnel
MMDA data from earlier this year showed that 244,689 vehicles (110,991 eastbound or heading to the Fairview direction, and 133,698 westbound or heading to the Elliptical Road direction) traverse Commonwealth Avenue daily. This total is made up of:
- 113,948 motorcycles
- 99,839 cars
- 10,650 public utility jeepneys
- 9,011 taxis
- 4,291 trucks
- 3,998 UV Express
- 2,022 public utility buses
- 220 trailers
An ABS-CBN News report also stated that 18,000 vehicles traverse Commonwealth Avenue during morning rush hour, with 10,000 heading to Quezon Avenue and 8,000 going to East Avenue.
According to MMDA chairman Atty. Romando Artes, the proposed Commonwealth Avenue tunnel will run under Elliptical Road.
“Nag-usap kami ng Traffic Engineering Center natin,” Artes said. “Ngayon pong linggong ito, tinututukan nila yung Commonwealth. Ang isa sa mga inaaral ay maglagay po ng tunnel mula Commonwealth para diretso na sa East Avenue at sa Quezon Avenue.”
Currently, a tunnel exists on Commonwealth Avenue: Batasan Tunnel, which connects Batasan Road to the westbound lane of the highway. But the MRT-7 will also have underground sections, with the University Avenue Station and the Quezon Memorial Circle Station both being underground as well.
Commonwealth Avenue bus lane
The proposed Commonwealth Avenue bus lane, meanwhile, will be similar to the implementation of the EDSA Busway, which augments the passenger capacity of the MRT-3.
The feasibility of a median layout, which puts the busway at the innermost lanes of the highway on both directions, will have to be carefully considered here. Commonwealth Avenue is much wider than EDSA, after all, and the construction of the MRT-7 is still ongoing. But a Commonwealth Avenue Busway route that continues on to the EDSA Busway would benefit public transport users since they wouldn’t have to switch buses to travel between Fairview and business districts like Ortigas and Makati.
What do you think of these solutions being pitched by the MMDA? Sound off in the comments.
