Dry run for Commonwealth Avenue zipper lane to resume on Saturday, Jan. 2

The Quezon City local government on Friday announced that it would resume the dry run for a zipper lane on Commonwealth Avenue on Saturday, January 2.

According to the LGU, the dry run will be conducted with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and MRT-7 contractor EEI starting 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. with modifications.

One of the entrances will be at the Luzon Avenue-Tandang Sora Avenue area while another will be in front of UP-Ayala Technohub.

The zipper lane will then end at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue eastbound and University Avenue leading to the University of the Philippines – Diliman.

"Tomorrow, a stop-and-go traffic management scheme will be implemented whereby vehicles on Commonwealth Avenue eastbound will be stopped while those on the zipper lane turn left into University Avenue,” Assistant Quezon City Administrator Alberto Kimpo said in a statement.

“This will then be followed by vehicles on Commonwealth Avenue being allowed to proceed while those on the zipper lane are stopped, and so on," he added.

Kimpo said the dry run is meant to study the zipper lane or counter-flow scheme and the diversion method to be used to ease rush hour traffic along the avenue.

Meanwhile, authorities tested a road diversion scheme on Thursday where vehicles were diverted to University Avenue while those traveling Commonwealth eastbound had to make a U-turn at the University Avenue-C.P. Garcia interchange, before proceeding back to Commonwealth.

"We will compare the results of the dry-run for both schemes: zipper lane with Road Diversion and zipper lane with stop-and-go, and make the appropriate recommendation to the MMDA,” Kimpo said.

“What's important here is that following the explicit instructions of Mayor Belmonte, we have to get the right scheme in place come Monday morning," Kimpo added.

According to the assistant city administrator, the zipper lane may allow motorists to bypass the heavy traffic on Commonwealth westbound and the Elliptical Road.

“[M]otorists can use the zipper lane and proceed to C.P. Garcia Avenue via University Avenue, and proceed from there to Katipunan-C5, or Kalayaan Avenue via Maginhawa Street, or East Avenue, or Quezon Avenue,” he said. -NB, GMA News