DPWH starts P62-M project to reduce flooding in Quezon Memorial Circle, along Quezon Ave.

A P62-million project to add two lanes and expand creeks along Quezon Avenue is expected to reduce flooding in the area and at the the Quezon Memorial Circle, Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar said Friday.

"Yung creek, pinalaki namin yung creek para at least mabawasan po yung baha sa Quezon Memorial Circle pati sa Quezon Avenue. In fact, yung increase sa capacity ng creek is 112 percent," Villar said in an interview on News To Go.

"Ang expectation namin 1,000 cars per hour ang dadaan po sa bagong widened, two lanes na ginawa namin sa Quezon Ave," he added.

The project is a combination of initiatives from the Metro Manila decongestion program and flood control program.

Openings will be installed along Quezon Avenue to allow the removal of blockage in the sewers.

"Mayroon ho kaming mga openings. Puwedeng tanggalin yung mga openings at meron rin kaming machines na puwedeng panghigop kung mayroon mang blockages," Villar explained.

"Nakikipag-coordinate rin kami sa LGU. Kaya napaka critical rin ng LGU sa flooding solution," he said.

A towing truck will be on standby to remove illegally parked cars, in accordance to the Metro Manila Development Agency's guidelines.

"Nag-request din kami ng mga towing trucks para in case na may magpa-park dun sa lane, pwede i-tow yun kagad," Villar said.

"Lalo na with MMDA, mas strict sila ngayon sa illegal parking kasi gawa kami ng gawa ng kalye minsan, tapos makikita mo na lang, may naka-parada na," he continued.

Villar pleaded to motorists to avoid using the new lanes as parking lots, a "perennial" problem identified by the DPWH in areas inside and outside Metro Manila.

"'Pag may bagong lane, 'wag niyo nang gawin na paradahan. It's a continuous problem for us, but we're aware of the problem and we're doing our best to minimize," he said. — Rie Takumi/MDM, GMA News