Driving to my in-laws’ home the weekend before Christmas, I was able to pass along the newly paved section of Commonwealth that now connects directly with Quirino Highway. While there are still much evidence of the construction project like materials and soil from excavations, traffic signs have been installed and pavement and curb markings were mostly completed including the yellow box.

One can compare the photos below with those in an earlier post found here.

Intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Jordan Plains Subd. gate

The intersection at the Jordan Plains gate already has directional signs showing the way to points of interest like the Novaliches District Center (sort of a mini City Hall), General Luis road (via Jordan Plains Subdivision) and Quirino Highway, which is up ahead from the intersection.

On the day before Christmas, most leftover construction material were already removed from the area and the approach to the intersection is shown below. The 4-lane northbound side of Commonwealth becomes 3 lanes from the intersection. The opposite southbound direction with 3 lanes widens to 4 lanes after the intersection.

Approach to the intersection with Jordan Plains to the left and Quirino Highway up ahead. The buildings up ahead are part of the San Benissa Garden Villas.

Approach to intersection from Quirino Highway. Also visible in this photo are residential buildings of the San Benissa Garden Villas

So far, I have only observed light traffic along the intersection but this should eventually become a major intersection and may require traffic signals once motorists become more familiar with this route. Already there are some experiences of congestion at the intersection with Quirino Highway as it is currently unsignalized despite the volume of traffic at the area. Considering the typical behavior of motorists, it is not unthinkable that conflicting flows eventually translate into constrictions as drivers generally do not give way even to those with a clear right of way. Thus, manual enforcement will have to be present, firm and consistent in order to be effective in managing traffic at Commonwealth-Quirino.

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