Heads up: C5 Ortigas, Pasig Boulevard Flyovers to be rehabilitated

Motorists who frequently travel along C5 at night and until the early hours of the morning may have to find alternate routes instead of passing through C5 Ortigas and C5 Pasig Boulevard Flyovers.

The Department of Public Works & Highways (DPWH) has announced that starting today (December 2) until December 30, 2022, portions of the southbound lane of the C5 Ortigas Flyover and Pasig Boulevard Flyover will be closed to motorists from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM daily. This is to give way to rehabilitation works by the agency to rectify the damages observed in the two flyovers' expansion joints and prevent accidents.

But wait a moment, didn't the MMDA announce that all types of road works are temporarily suspended until January 6, 2023, in order to avoid traffic buildup during the holiday rush? According to the DPWH, the rehabilitation of the aforementioned flyovers has been deemed as a priority by the DPWH-NCR. As a result, it has been exempted from the MMDA's directive of suspending all types of road works.

Regular repair, including removal of existing expansion joints and chipping works, will be conducted. It will then be followed by the installation of new bridge expansion joints, replacing the old bridge expansion joints on identified spans on the southbound portion of the flyovers. PHP 12.9 million will be allocated for the repair of the 37.25 meters of five expansion joints of the C5 Ortigas Flyover. Meanwhile, PHP 18.7 million will be used to repair 52.50 meters of C5 Pasig Boulevard Flyover's seven expansion joints. All projects are funded by the FY 2022 General Appropriations Act.

With the month-long rehabilitation works set to begin later tonight, motorists should expect heavier traffic along both flyovers for the duration of the repair activities. In addition, the DPWH has advised motorists to find alternate routes during the scheduled time of repair work to avoid traffic congestion.