The Luzon Avenue flyover spanning the width of Commonwealth Avenue is now open to two way traffic. Previously, only the northbound side was open, allowing vehicles to cross Commonwealth from Tandang Sora Ave./Katipunan Ave. to Luzon Ave. and towards Congressional Avenue. I took a few photos of the flyover and the vicinity of Luzon Avenue en route to NLEX a few days ago.
The Luzon Avenue flyover has a total of 4 lanes, divided by a median island.
The lamp posts indicate a well lighted road during night time. The pedestrian walkways on either side are quite narrow and I think the designers of the flyover could have widened this feature of the facility.
A view of Commonwealth Avenue from the flyover.
Along the other end of the flyover is Luzon Avenue, which has been widened to accommodate the flyover and the at-grade sections connecting to the QMC-bound side of Commonwealth Avenue.
A pedestrian overpass was constructed at the foot of the Luzon Ave. flyover so pedestrians will not cross at this critical part of the flyover when vehicles would typically be picking up speed as they descend (or ascend on the other side) the flyover. There are still construction work along the northbound side of Luzon Avenue.
Luzon Avenue, which is a 6-lane, 2-way road divided by a median, is quite crowded with either side of the road occupied mostly by informal settlers. There is also an informal wet market (talipapa) along the road.
The pavement is elevated compared to the land on either side of the road. There are stores and shops set up by those living along the road.
Side streets are narrow and could probably accommodate only cars or small vehicles like tricycles (also shown in the photo traveling along Luzon Ave.
Some stalls are just along the street like this fruit stand that’s already on the carriageway. The photo also shows a better view of a side street with parked vehicles along one side of the road.
Approach to Congressional Avenue – there is another pedestrian overpass near the junction with Congressional. Note the height of the plant box on the median that is designed to discourage or minimize jaywalking across Luzon Ave.
Water works at the junction of Luzon Ave. and Congressional Ave. Luzon Ave. continues as a narrow 2-lane street towards the direction of Bgy. Holy Spirit.
-
Approach to Tayuman Station along the northbound side of Rizal Avenue.
Tayuman Station – shown in the upper part of the photo is one end of the northbound platform.
Underneath the station, jeepneys clog the lanes as they load/unload passengers. LRT Line 1 stations are poorly designed for intermodal transfers (e.g., LRT to jeepney, LRT to bus, etc.).
Tayuman Road is a busy street in Manila that’s served by jeepneys connecting to major streets like Lacson Avenue to the east and Abad Santos and Juan Luna to the west. The photo shows a view to the east of the LRT Tayuman Station.
Approach to the junction with Herrera Street
Approach to Blumentritt Station – the station is named after Ferdinand Blumentritt, an Austrian who was a close friend of the national hero Jose Rizal. The street leads to a large public market close to the station (near the intersection) that is also named after the fellow and one of the more crowded markets in the metropolis. There are many jeepney lines with Blumentritt as part of their routes.
Birds and other creatures being sold as pets around Blumentritt – many have been painted to attract children and other buyers curious at the colored birds.
Vendors line the Rizal Avenue, Blumentritt and the other side streets in the area, which is usually crowded no matter what day of the week it is.
Angry birds? A closer look reveals the birds as chicken chicks colored by the vendors to attract interest. Sadly, many of these do not survive to become full grown chickens and children (and adults) will be disappointed to discover later that the color comes off pretty quick when the chicks come in contact with water.
There is a PNR Blumentritt Station and unless there’s been some radical clean-up of the area, this is pretty much what you’d see around the station – garbage, dirt, informal settlers and other characters. The building behind the station is a public school.
The PNR Blumentritt Station has two platforms on either side of the double track. Security is quite lax and people, including children, cross the tracks freely. Fortunately, train service frequencies are quite low (about 1 per hour) so the risk of getting hit by a train is also low. The photo shows the view to the east of Rizal Avenue.
On the left side of Rizal Avenue is a scene where people are oblivious to the railways with some even doing their cooking between the tracks.
Blumentritt Avenue is a very crowded street with a public school (building at right) just across the public market (at left). There are many vendors lined along the street and people as just about everywhere and without regard to vehicular traffic.
Traffic congestion along Rizal Avenue is attributed mainly to the market and median barriers were constructed to reduce pedestrian crossings anywhere along the road. Commercial establishments line either side of Rizal Avenue, basically contributing to congestion in the area.
Commercial establishments plus customers plus paratransit equal to traffic congestion
16A busy side street in the Blumentritt area – there are no sidewalks so pedestrians and motor vehicles mix it up along the road.
Bulacan Street serves as an informal terminal for jeepneys. The road appears to be newly paved but there are no sidewalks and tents are found along the road often bearing the names of politicians sponsoring the tents for various purposes such as wakes and parties.
Intersection with Pampanga Street, just before Rizal Avenue and the LRT line turns towards Aurora Boulevard and proceed to Caloocan City and Monumento.
Cyclist pedaling along Rizal Avenue beside a yellow jeepney taking passengers at the designated stop at curbside. Downstream are parked vehicles along the road.
More parked vehicles at either side of Rizal Avenue effectively reducing road capacity for the 4-lane street.
On-street parking is a problem for the city as there are few, if any, off-street parking facilities in the city. On-street parking turnover is quite low since many of the parked vehicles are not clients or customers but establishment owners or managers.
Most of Rizal Avenue is undivided but there are median barriers along the section in front of the public market to reduce jaywalking among pedestrians.
The section in front of city hall – just across are many commercial establishments and on-street parking.
Another view of the Rizal Avenue, this time along the westbound side, with the the market on the left side. The yellow jeepneys are quite conspicuous and remind me of the UP Ikot jeepneys.
A monument to the Ulo ng Apo, from which the name of the city is said to be derived from, is right in the middle of a rotunda at a major intersection along Rizal Avenue. Around the rotunda are commercial establishments and a major provincial bus terminal.
There are designated stops for jeepneys along the avenue but these are often crowded out by parked vehicles. As a result, jeepneys could not maneuver properly and end up unloading/loading passengers in the middle of the road.
On-street parking along curves tend to impede the flow of traffic. There are also issues where electric posts like the one shown in the photo have not been transferred, posing risks to vehicular traffic.
Another example of a designated jeepney stop along the avenue where parked vehicles constrict maneuvering space for jeepneys.
A monument to the volunteers of Olongapo during the Mt. Pinatubo episode after the closure of the U.S. Naval Base in what is now a Freeport. I wonder if the building under construction in the photo has enough parking spaces for the traffic it generates.
More jeepneys and more on-street parking – there is a perception that there are too many (oversupply) of jeepneys. Note though that most PUJs in Olongapo are not the bigger 20 to 24 seater jeepneys we see in Metro Manila but the older, 16 to 18 seaters like the ones shown in the photo.
Some on-street parking spaces are “reserved” by establishments. I didn’t mention that on-street parking is free of charge and such situation probably encourages longer parking durations. Perhaps the city should seriously consider parking fees to reduce long-term parking and ensure smoother flow of traffic along its streets. There are examples of these parking schemes in other cities including Makati City that Olongapo can adopt and adjust.
Heavy equipment are everywhere along the section like the roller (pison) on the right side of the photo working on base layer of the pavement. The concrete barriers are used to prevent vehicles from entering the work zone.
Both northbound and southbound traffic were using the northbound side of the road. The median island separating NB and SB sides of the the road is shown in the photo. The building on the right is actually a condemned structure.
Concrete pavement has been laid out along the SB lanes but was still undergoing curing.
Tandang Sora junction with Luzon Avenue
Newly opened southbound lanes – 3 lanes are of PCCP but there are still construction work ongoing including drainage and sidewalk construction.
Sidewalk and median barriers are in various stages of construction along the section. I think they built barriers to anticipate problems regarding jaywalking.
Approaching the LRT Line 1 Carriedo Station from the McArthur Bridge
Under Carriedo Station, one experiences first-hand what people have been saying about the area being blighted by the LRT 1 structure
Poorly lighted? It was broad daylight outdoors when we conducted the recon but underneath an LRT 1 Station it can get quite dark. Of course, aside from the need to improve illumination, perhaps authorities can also improve the environment including the cleanliness of the area under the station. A common complaint is garbage and there are those saying the area smells of piss (i.e., mapanghi).
Past Carriedo Station, it was brighter and perhaps the area can be developed so that stretches can be pedestrian friendly. Maybe there should also be restrictions on vehicle parking, which tends to make the area look congested. It would be good to have a strategically located multilevel facility in the area where most vehicles can park instead of along the streets as shown in the photo.
5More roadside parking plus the presence of tricycles contribute to traffic congestion in the area. People are everywhere walking and crossing anywhere. The arcades where they are supposed to walk along are mainly occupied by vendors or merchandise of stores/shops occupying the ground floors of the buildings along the street.
Each side of Rizal Avenue is surprisingly wide with 3 lanes per direction. One lane is effectively used for on-street parking while the other two are for general traffic. There are no lane markings at the time we passed by the area so there can be confusion as to lane assignments.
Approach to the junction with Recto Ave. and the LRT Line 2, which is also elevated and at the 3rd level as shown in the photo.
Rizal Ave.-Recto Ave. intersection – visible downstream in the photo is Doroteo Jose Station
Provincial bus terminal between Doroteo Jose and Bambang Stations
The Sta. Cruz district and particularly the Bambang area is well-known for shops selling medical equipment and supplies. Medical, nursing and other students of allied medical professions as well as professionals come to Bambang to purchase equipment and supplies from these shops, which offer items at lower prices.
LRT 1 Bambang Station
Rizal Ave.-Bambang St. intersection beneath the station
Two large government hospitals are located in the area between Bambang Station and Tayuman Station – San Lazaro Hospital and Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center. Both are run by the Department of Health (DOH), which is located beside Jose Reyes.
One-way section beside the Taytay Public Market
Parts of the market were under renovation
Past the market, Highway 2000 becomes a 2-way road. There are no lane markings and the pavement shown in the photo indicates a poorly maintained road.
Along the road are subdivisions, a few commercial establishments, a columbarium under construction, informal settlers and much open space.
Junction with the Manggahan East Bank Road and approach to the Barkadahan Bridge
Crossing the East Bank Road to the 2-lane Barkadahan Bridge, you can immediately notice the narrow sidewalks along each side of the bridge. I think they should have designed this to be wider considering the significant number of people crossing the bridge on foot.
One can have a good view of the southernmost end of the Manggahan Floodway from the bridge.
The view shows a lot of informal settlers along both the west and east banks of the floodway and a lot of water lily and kangkong on the waters, which lead to the Laguna de Bay.
Shanties along the west bank of the floodway. The tall buildings in the horizon and downstream from the bridge are located in Quezon City’s Eastwood along Circumferential Road 5. Behind Eastwood is the Marikina River, which connects to the Manggahan Floodway via the Rosario Weir.
The other end of the Barkadahan Bridge is a junction with the Manggahan West Bank Road and a generally residential area that is still part of Taytay, Rizal.
View from the overpass from Aurora Blvd to A. Bonifacio Ave. – in the horizon are the Sierra Madre mountains and closer to the flyover is of course a view of the Marikina Valley.
A. Bonifacio is a 4-lane, 2-way undivided road
Section at the exit from Riverbanks
Underpass along Quezon Boulevard – the Far Eastern University is at the left while the bridge downstream is the elevated LRT Line 2 that is directly above Claro M. Recto Avenue. At right are commercial and residential buildings surrounding the Manila City Jail. The building at the right behind the LRT 2 is the Isetann mall.
Grade separation – the Quezon Blvd. underpass running beneath LRT Line 2 and Claro M. Recto Ave. has 3 lanes per direction.
The Intramuros-bound direction of Quezon Blvd. has five (5) lanes but these are confused due to the lack of lane markings. Effectively, there are only 4 lanes due to road-side parking and pedestrian activity. While many old buildings are designed in the arcade style where pedestrians are supposed to have right-of-way, these are usually occupied by merchandize, signs and other obstacles to pedestrian flow. As such, pedestrians walk along the carriageway as seen in the photo.
One of the side streets in Quiapo is Raon, popular for electronics and camera shops. People came and continue to come here for good deals on music players, karaoke machines, speakers, digital cameras and other electronic goods. However, one has to be attentive or alert as there are supposedly many snatchers and pickpockets in the area.
The Quiapo Church is a shrine dedicated to the Black Nazarene. The Feast Day every January attracts hundreds of thousands of people in a procession that now starts from the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park and ends at the church.
The giant screen usually shows ads by the sponsor, a major drugstore chain, and popular television shows. The screen is quite bright at night and you can see many people gathering around for when it features primetime TV shows.
Plaza Miranda in front of Quiapo Church has been the site of many events including the infamous bombing of a political gathering in 1972 that led to the imposition of Martial Law in September of that year. Common around the plaza are vendors peddling herbal medicines, religious items, and even religious services like praying for the client in exchange for a small fee. There are also fortune tellers and other characters.
Past the Quiapo church is the ramp towards the Quezon Bridge. Underneath and faintly visible in the photo is an underpass along which is Carlos Palanca Street that leads to Rizal Avenue in the northwest and P. Casal in the southeast. There are many shops along this road where the Quinta Market is also located at the corner of Quezon Blvd. and Palanca Street. Among these shops are those selling handicrafts and the notorious ones selling bootleg DVD movies.
Approach to Quezon Bridge, one of the oldest bridges in Manila spanning the Pasig River. It’s steel truss design has been an example used in many civil engineering and architecture classes.
A closer look at Quezon Bridge.
Ruins of the aduana or customs building, visible upon turning from the Muelle Del Rio at Plaza Mexico towards Andres Soriano Jr. Ave.
The road is a four lane, two-way street. It is usually congested because of public transport loading and unloading operations (usually in the middle of the street) and roadside parking, which is tolerated. In fact, there are parking aides in charge of collecting fees from drivers parking along the streets. Intramuros is host to a lot of offices, commercial establishments and schools – all major traffic generators that attract so many vehicles thereby requiring a lot of parking space. The building to the left is the reconstructed building where the old ayuntamiento used to stand.
The new building where the ayuntamiento was is now supposed to be the new offices of the Bureau of Treasury.
The open space at left is the along which are many parked cars is the Plaza Roma, which is in front of the Manila Cathedral. The building right after the plaza is where the Palacio del Gobernador used to be. It is now the offices of the Bureau of Treasury.
Cabildo Street, one of the side streets from across the Plaza Roma, which ultimately leads to Fort Santiago.
6Another look at the building where the old Governor’s Palace used to be. Visible downstream along the Soriano Ave. is the gate leading to the Simeon de Anda monument located at a roundabout along A. Bonifacio Drive.
At right is Gen. Antonio Luna Street, which is another main road that has one end at Puerto Real, the southernmost gate of the Intramuros and the other at Fort Santiago. Curiously, this road was also called Calle Real del Palacio as it passed in front of the Palacio del Gobernador.
A view along Gen. Antonio Luna Street towards Fort Santiago, which is a one-way street.
Western entrance to Intramuros along Soriano Ave. leads to Bonifacio Drive and the Port Area.
Arzobispo Street, which also leads to Fort Santiago but also passes along the Archbishop’s Palace, the office of the Archdiocese of Manila and with its southernmost end at San Agustin Church.
The Simeon de Anda monument at the Anda Circle along Bonifacio Drive.
