ILOILO City – This December the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) may start constructing a flyover at the intersection of the Sen. Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Avenue and the 14-kilometer President Corazon Aquino Avenue in Barangay Ungka II, Pavia, Iloilo. It may worsen the traffic congestion in the area albeit temporarily.
A rerouting of vehicles could ease the traffic bottleneck there, according to Jeck Conlu, head of the Public Safety and Transportation Management Office of the city government.
Private vehicles may be made to take alternative routes, he said during yesterday’s meeting of the Metro Iloilo Guimaras Economic and Development Council (MIGEDC).
Conlu heads the MIGEDC transportation task force. He had been tasked to prepare a traffic rerouting plan.
MIGEDC was created to formulate, coordinate and monitor programs, projects and activities for the acceleration of the economic growth and development of its member local government units, namely Iloilo City, the municipalities of Oton, San Miguel, Pavia, Leganes, and Santa Barbara in Iloilo province, and Guimaras province.
The flyover at the intersection of the Sen. Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Avenue and President Corazon Aquino Avenue in Barangay Ungka II, Pavia is one of four that DPWH is building to ease traffic congestion on mayor points leading in and out of Iloilo City.
The three others are at the junction of Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue and Felix Gorriceta Jr. Avenue in Barangay Aganan, Pavia; in Barangay Jibao-an, Pavia going to Mandurriao district of Iloilo City; and at the intersection of the national highway and President Corazon Aquino Avenue in Barangay Buhang, Jaro district.
Ilonggo senator Franklin Drilon who lobbied for these flyovers said, “We have to move quickly to solve this traffic congestion which irks drivers, commuters and tourists. We must prevent being compared to Metro Manila and Cebu City in terms of the gravity of traffic. It will not be good for the image of the city that we have worked hard on for several years.”
The 10-lane, 15-kilometer Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue serves as the main thoroughfare from Iloilo City to the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan, Iloilo.
Drilon initiated the construction of the Sen. Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Avenue and the President Corazon Aquino Avenue during the Aquino administration. They now serve as main gateways to Iloilo City, easing traffic congestion.
The roads are now a commercial strip, dotted by new hotels and business establishment.
However, the rapid rise of Iloilo and the influx of tourists, Drilon acknowledged, caused traffic congestions particularly during rush hours (from 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.).
“We will address the traffic congestion in the area. While traffic is a sign of development, we cannot let it continue as it will affect our reputation as one of the few livable cities in the country, as well as our bid to make Iloilo a MICE destination,” Drilon said
The Ilonggo senator was referring to his campaign, together with the Department of Tourism, to position Iloilo as premier destination for meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibits or MICE./PN
