LOOK: EDSA Timog Flyover SB reopens tomorrow, July 23

It's already a given that driving along EDSA on a weekday can be taxing, more so if you're a commuter who has to catch a bus, take the MRT, or hail a taxi that (hopefully) won't overcharge your fare. However, traversing EDSA became a little bit more complicated, especially for southbound motorists and commuters coming from North EDSA or Quezon Avenue. 

That's because last June 25, the EDSA Timog Flyover Southbound had to be closed to traffic for immediate repairs. As a result, all types of vehicles had no choice but to take the service road which only has two lanes, forcing a bottleneck situation during rush hour traffic. The MMDA has also advised motorists to take Scout Borromeo, Eugenio Lopez Drive, and other Mabuhay Lanes in order to get to their destination.

Fast forward to the end of July, and motorists will finally be able to use the EDSA Timog Flyover Southbound once more. Originally scheduled to reopen next week on July 25, the DPWH recently announced that the flyover will actually be opening tomorrow instead, July 23. That's right, starting 5:00 PM tomorrow afternoon, the southbound segment will be fully opened to traffic.

"We are happy to report that we were able to deliver on the given 30-day timetable despite the intermittent rain showers experienced in the past weeks", said DPWH 2nd District Engineer Eduardo V. Santos.

But some of you might still be wondering why it took the DPWH nearly an entire month to rehabilitate the flyover.

For starters, the concrete that they used to repair the large potholes and cracks on the infrastructure required curing for 7 days. While they could have used fast-curing concrete, they opted to use the former to ensure the infrastructure will be sturdy for everyday use. Another reason that it took them longer to repair is that they could not use heavy equipment in order to minimize the damages that have already formed.

While the near month-long closure has resulted in motorists figuring out other ways in order to avoid the gridlock near the EDSA Timog Flyover, at least the DPWH was able to finish repairing the bridge ahead of schedule. Hopefully, there won't be a repeat of this situation on the northbound section of the flyover.