ADVISORY: Traffic rerouting plans for 30th ASEAN Summit

Delegates from all over Southeast Asia are flying in for the 30^th ASEAN Summit, which will be held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) from tomorrow, April 26, until Saturday, April 29. As these delegates will need access to seamless travel from one meeting venue to another, something which Metro Manila’s roads cannot readily provide without intervention.

One of the ways the government helped is by Malacañang declaring certain days as non-working holidays for parts of Metro Manila, and making April 28 a non-working holiday for the whole metropolis.

Related article: April 28 declared a non-working holiday for Metro Manila

The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has also released traffic rerouting plans for Roxas Boulevard, SM Mall of Asia, and a portion of Makati to make way for the delegates of the 30^th ASEAN Summit. They’ve also lifted the number coding scheme on the 28^th of April for Metro Manila, apart from the cities of Makati and Las Piñas.

ASEAN Lanes

CCP Complex (which houses PICC) has been designated as an “ASEAN delegates only” zone from April 26-29. This means no one else is allowed to get in or out of that area for the duration of the summit, unless you have something to show that lets you come in.

The following roads have been designated as ASEAN lanes (i.e. whenever an ASEAN delegate will pass through them, re-routing of other vehicles will take place):

• Sen. W. Diokno Blvd.
• Jalandoni St.
• V. Sotto St.
• Bukaneg St.
• A. Dela Rama St.
• Arnaiz Ave.
• Makati Ave.
• Parkway Dr.

What this means for us mortals (i.e. non-ASEAN delegates) is that these roads will be closed and we won’t be able to use them whenever delegates will pass by these roads.

Rerouting plans

Here is the rerouting plan for the city of Makati:

IT’S A SMALL PORTION, but it’s still hitting a main thoroughfare./IMAGE MMDA

“Package” in this sense means an ASEAN delegate. Taking our cue from the text, this means anyone looking to exit Paseo de Roxas onto Arnaiz Ave. (Pasay Rd.) should turn right at Benavidez St. (a short counterflow lane will be set-up), right at Trasierra St., then left at Gamboa St. and on to your destination.

If you’re going the other way along Paseo de Roxas and Esperanza St. becomes gridlocked during the lock-down, just head towards Ayala, turn right then head for your destination.

SM Mall of Asia is going to be a bit more straight-forward.

DOESN’T GET ANY EASIER. It will be a struggle, but it’s easier to understand./IMAGE MMDA

If you’re headed for SM Mall of Asia and are using EDSA Extension, you’ll either be asked to make a u-turn or be told to turn right at Pea Rd. 1. Or you can skip all of that and not plan to go to SM Mall of Asia during the summit.

For those plying Roxas Blvd., here’s what’s going to happen:

ONLY A PORTION. You’ll be able to use a portion of Roxas Blvd./IMAGE MMDA

If you’ll be on Roxas Blvd., you’d better familiarize yourself with Taft Ave. because you’ll be using that most of the way to and from your destination.

If you’re headed north along Roxas Blvd, you are advised to turn right at either EDSA, A. Arnaiz Ave., or Buendia Ave. then turn left at Taft Ave. You can get back along Roxas by turning left on U.N. Ave. or Finance Rd. to your destination.

If you’re headed south along Roxas Blvd., take a left at P. Burgos St., Kalaw Ave., or U.N. Ave. then go right at Taft Ave. From there, just turn left at Buendia Ave. or EDSA towards your destination.

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Featured image grabbed from ASEAN 2017 Facebook page
Source: MMDA on Facebook, ASEAN 2017 Facebook page, Rappler, ABS-CBN News, CNN Philippines, GMA News Online, Inquirer.net