Expect heavier traffic along roads near MRT-7 construction sites

Motorists have been warned of a heavier traffic flow along roads near the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 7 construction sites following the installations of rail tracks and construction of stations that would start in the first quarter of 2018.

In an advisory on Friday, the MRT-7 Traffic Management Task Force announced its traffic management plan concerning the affected areas of the transit line’s construction.

North Avenue

The task force advised motorists to avoid North Avenue and take alternative routes when the installation of the rail track toward Quezon Memorial Circle Station starts on January 15.

The construction would occupy two lanes at the center of North Avenue. The three lanes going toward Quezon Memorial Circle Station and two lanes going to EDSA would remain passable.

Commonwealth Avenue

Motorists were also warned of heavier traffic on both westbound and eastbound sides of Commonwealth Avenue due to the construction of Don Antonio and Batasan Stations.

Construction of University Avenue, Manggahan, Doña Carmen and Regalado Stations were also expected to commence by the first quarter of the year, the task force said.

Quirino Highway

In addition, the MRT-7 traffic task force said installation of rail tracks along Quirino Highway in Caloocan City was scheduled to start this January.

Motorists were advised to continue to take alternate routes to avoid the expected traffic in the area.

“The Task Force appeals to the riding public and to both the private and public motorists for their full cooperation by observing traffic rules and regulations while the said construction activities are ongoing,” the task force said in a statement on Friday.

The MRT-7, once finished, would have an elevated transit line spanning 22.8 kilometers from San Jose del Monte, Bulacan to North Avenue, Quezon City. /jpv



Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/959740/expect-heavier-traffic-along-roads-near-mrt-7-construction-sites-mrt-7-traffic-construction-advisory-traffic-management#ixzz54A9gY38D
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Fire hits Brother Mike’s commercial property

Firefighters battle the flames at the Velarde property in Barangay San Dionisio, Parañaque City, on Saturday.—CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

A fire damaged a commercial building owned by televangelist Bro. Mike Z. Velarde in Parañaque City early Saturday morning.

A report reaching Supt. Robert Pasis, head of the city’s Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) office, said the fire started around 1 a.m. at a grocery store inside Amvel City Compound in Barangay San Dionisio.

It reached the fifth alarm and was declared out at 8:23 a.m.

There were no reported injuries in the fire that, based on BFP estimates, caused damage to property worth P2 million.

Insp. Wilson Tana, arson investigation chief, said about 70 percent of the building was destroyed.

Aside from the grocery, the structure is rented by tenants running private offices and a canteen, Velarde said in a radio interview.

It also houses a food court, a water refilling station, and electronics and accessories stores.

Velarde, founder of the religious group El Shaddai and owner of real estate development and broadcasting companies, said he had earlier plans to demolish and replace the 10-year-old structure to maximize the use of the lot where it now stands and use it for a call center company.

“(Buildings of) up to five stories are allowed here,” he said.

Adjacent to the building is an open area where El Shaddai followers hold their worship services.

Velarde said the fire would not affect their activities.

“That will not be the case because they are really separate areas. Before, there were vendors entering the worship area. So I constructed a building for them since they were interrupting the fellowship activities. So now the vendors can temporarily (set up stalls) outside,” he said.

Shop owners renting space in the building are members of a cooperative, according to a report by Radyo Inquirer.

Quoting Velarde, the report said the damaged goods alone could already be worth  P10 million while the cost of the structural damage could go up to P40 million.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation at press time.

Pasis noted the absence of a water sprinkler system in the building, for which the owner could be held liable.

Velarde has yet to comment on such findings by the BFP.

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/960025/fire-hits-brother-mikes-commercial-property#ixzz54FrAKZ1K
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Tinutupad na ni Digong ang pangako sa taumbayan

'Uncovered'

KABI-KABILANG mahahalagang proyekto ang naramdaman natin sa unang dalawang linggo pa lamang ng Enero 2018.

Una ang groundbreaking ng Department of Transportation (DoTr) at iba pang local government officials ng Bulacan province bilang hudyat sa konstruksiyon ng  Philippine National Railways (PNR) Clark project.

Ang unang bahagi ng konstruksiyong ito ay ang bagong riles at bagong train stations mula sa Tutuban, Manila hanggang Malolos, Bulacan.

Tiniyak ni DoTr Sec. Arthur Tugade na matatapos ang Manila to Clark Railway sa taong 2022 o bago matapos ang termino ng Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte.

Ang dating dalawang oras na biyahe mula Tutuban hanggang Malolos, Bulacan (o vice versa) ay magiging 35 minuto na lamang sakaling matapos ang nasabing proyekto.

Bukod sa Manila to Clark Railway, asahan ding matatapos ang Clark City na proyekto naman ni Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) President Vince Dizon na higit na magpapasigla sa ekonomiya sa bansa.

Ayon kay Senador JV Ejercito na pangunahing nagsusulong ng ‘railway system’ sa bansa bilang sagot sa malalang problema sa trapiko, mahigit sa 300,000 pasahero araw-araw ang mabebenepisyuhan sa proyektong ito.

“In the Build, Build, Build, what follows are more jobs. There will be a huge demand for carpenters, construction workers. It will create more jobs for our citizens,” sabi naman ni Senador Joel Villanueva.
   
Samantala, pinangunahan din ng DoTr, BCDA, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Toll Regulatory Board at ni Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano ang ‘groundbreaking’ sa South East Metro Manila Expressway Project (SEMME).
   
Ang unang bahagi ng SEMME ay ang 35 kilometro na Metro Manila C-6 Expressway na may anim na lane ang kalsada. Karugtong ito ng itinatayo ngayong Skyway Stage 1 sa FTI, Taguig City na maguugnay sa kalsada sa Batasan Complex sa Quezon City patungo naman sa North Luzon Expressway via Balagtas, Bulacan.
   
Giginhawa sa kalsadang ito ang mga pasahero mula Southern Metro Manila, Rizal province, Quezon City hanggang Bulacan province.
   
Inumpisahan naman ng DoTr, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), katuwang ang Land Transportation Office (LTO), Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) at  local governments ang Tanggal Usok, Tanggal Bulok project laban sa mga pampublikong sasakyan.
   
Ayon kay DoTr Undersecretary Tim Orbos, hindi lamang mga bulok na sasakyan ang target ng nasabing proyekto dahil higit na pinagtutuunan nila ng pansin ngayon ang kaligtasan ng mga pasahero tulad ng pagsita sa  PUVs na kalbo ang gulong, dispalinghadong break light, mausok na sasakyan at marami pang iba.
   
Kamakalawa ay inilunsad naman ni Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Sec. Alan Peter Cayetano ang 10-year validity ng ating mga pasaporte.
   
Kasabay nito ay dinagdagan na rin ni Cayetano ang 28 consular offices na nagpuproseso sa ating passports na malaking tulong lalo sa mga kababayang Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
   
Ayon kay Sec. Alan, matutuldukan na ang 600,000 ‘backlog’ sa passport applications noong nagdaang taon dahil ngayong 10 taon na ang validity ng pasaporte, mababawasan tiyak ang aplikante taun-taon na dating may limang taong validity sa pasaporte.
   
Malaking tulong din ang karagdagang consular offices na kayang mag-proseso ng 4,500 passport araw-araw. At ang mga ito ay nasa iba’t ibang probinsiya at lalawigan tulad ng San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte; Santiago City, Isabela; Malolos o Meycauayan cities sa Bulacan; Calamba o San Pablo cities sa Laguna; Dasmariñas City, Cavite; Antipolo City, Rizal;  Oroquieta o Ozamis cities sa Misamis Occidental at Tagum City, Davao del Norte.
   
Bukod pa rito ang pagbubukas ng apat na “passport-on-wheels” na ipakakalat sa Metro Manila at kayang mag-proseso ng 2,500 pasaporte kada araw.
   
Tulad ng pagpapaigting sa mass transport system sa bansa, ang 10-year validity passport ay ilan lamang sa mga pangako noon nina Duterte at Cayetano sa nakalipas na kampanya.
   
Isang taon pa lang sa Malakanyang si Digong pero kahit papaano, unti-unti ay natutupad na ang kanilang pangako sa taumbayan.
   
Magiging tatlo na rin ang telco provider sa Pilipinas na sagot sa problema sa wifi ngayong taong 2018 at ang inaantay na lang nating pagbabago ay ang solusyon sa problema ng MRT at LRT, habang nagpapatuloy din ang giyera kontra droga at korapsiyon sa pamahalaan.

Independent audit on MRT-3 finished by April, says DOTr Read more at http://beta.philstar.com/business/2018/01/14/1777508/independent-audit-mrt-3-finished-april-says-dotr#fCzq0Q1sl5fTyF6v.99

The independent audit and assessment (IAA) being conducted for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) and the 48 light rail vehicles (LRVs) from CRRC Dalian Co. Ltd. is expected to be completed by April.

“We requested them to prioritize the Dalian trains. They said they would try but we don’t want to rush it. We want them to do a thorough industry standard assessment,” said Timothy Bataan, officer-in-charge undersecretary for railways at the DOTr.

The DOTr tapped TUV Rheinland as IAA consultant for the entire MRT-3 system.

Batan said the 48 LRVs remain unused unless their safety and compatibility with the MRT-3 system have been certified.

“We will not in any way try to influence their independent assessment of the 48 cars from Dalian, and we will come up with a decision based on their recommendation. If they say we can use the LRVs immediately, we will consider. And if they say we have to return them, we will return the LRVs,” he said.

Concerns were earlier raised with the 48 LRVs procured by the previous administration for P3.8 billion after they exceeded the weight prescribed in the terms of reference (49,700 kilograms vs. 46,300 kilograms).

With the current fleet of Czech-made trains, Batan said MRT-3 can operate up to 20 three-car trains.

If the 48 LRVs are cleared to run, the number could be increased to 20 four-car trains, Batan said.

“The original design capacity of MRT-3 at peak hours is 20 three-car trains, running at 60-kilometers per hour (kph), with a three-minute headway,” he added.

DOTr earlier awarded the contract for the spare parts needed for the maintenance of the MRT-3. The spare parts will start arriving in tranches from February to June.

Batan said general maintenance works on the MRT-3 would be conducted during the Holy Week break.

He also gave an assurance that there would be no fare  hike while there is no substantial improvement of MRT-3 operations.

The MRT-3, which covers North Ave. station in Quezon City until Taft station in Pasay City, serves 500,000 passengers daily.

At present, the government is handling the maintenance of the MRT-3 after it terminated the contract with Busan Universal Rail Inc. (BURI) in November last year for failure to fulfill maintenance obligations and to procure spare parts.

Since the government took over, data from the DOTr showed the average number of passengers unloading incidents declined to 24 per month.

Under BURI’s watch, the MRT-3 had an average of 39 unloading incidents per month.


Read more at http://beta.philstar.com/business/2018/01/14/1777508/independent-audit-mrt-3-finished-april-says-dotr#fCzq0Q1sl5fTyF6v.99