Road closures, alternate routes for Marcos’ 2024 SONA

Road closures and alternate routes will be implemented for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 22, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said Wednesday.

In a traffic advisory, the MMDA said the southbound portions of Commonwealth Avenue will have a zipper lane to give way to officials and guests going to the Batasang Pambansa Complex.

Batasan-IBP Road will be closed to vehicular traffic starting at 8 a.m.

Due to these, the MMDA advised motorists to take the following alternate routes to avoid the expected heavy traffic along Commonwealth Avenue and around Batasang Pambansa Complex especially at about 3 p.m. when dignitaries start arriving:

Northbound (Quezon Memorial Circle to Fairview)

• Vehicles from Elliptical Road should take North Avenue, right turn at Mindanao Avenue, then right turn to Sauyo Road or take Quirino Highway to reach the point of destination.

Southbound (Fairview to Quezon Memorial Circle)

• Vehicles from Commonwealth Avenue should take Sauyo Road or Quirino Highway, turn left at Mindanao Avenue, then turn left at North Avenue to reach the point of destination.

For light vehicles

• Light vehicles from C5 Road may turn left at Magiting St., turn right at Maginhawa St., turn left at Mayaman St. to Kalayaan Avenue to reach the point of destination.

For trucks

• All trucks coming from C-5 along Katipunan Avenue should take Luzon Flyover then turn left at Congressional Avenue to reach the point of destination.

Traffic advisory signage will also be set up along alternate routes to guide motorists, the MMDA said. Also, plastic barriers and traffic cones will be placed along zipper lanes and affected roads.

The MMDA noted that the traffic flow is expected to ease within the vicinity of Batasang Pambansa after Marcos’ SONA speech.

MMDA’s mobile command center with CCTV monitors will be deployed at Batasan corner Commonwealth area. Protest actions will be monitored at MMDA’s communications and command center in Pasig City.

Ambulances, tow trucks, mobile patrol units, motorcycle units, and flood mitigation equipment, among others, will also be sent to designated routes and staging areas, according to the MMDA.

MMDA chief Romando Artes said 1,329 personnel will be deployed to manage vehicular and pedestrian traffic, emergency response, road and sidewalk clearing operations, crowd control, and traffic monitoring.

The MMDA will implement a “no day off, no absent” policy among its personnel, according to Artes.

“The MMDA is 100 percent ready for PBBM’s SONA. We are in close coordination with the Task Force SONA 2024, Quezon City Police District, Presidential Security Command, House of Representatives, and Quezon City government to ensure a safe, peaceful and orderly SONA,” Artes said.

Earlier, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Marcos is already preparing for his SONA.

The PCO said Marcos has no schedule today, July 17, to prepare for his speech.

--VAL, GMA Integrated News