IN nine days, EDSA, Metro Manila’s busiest thoroughfare, will be transformed into a 42-kilometer race route as thousands of runners take part in the Galaxy Manila Marathon on Independence Day.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday, June 3, released final traffic and operational arrangements for the event, which will start at 11:30 p.m. on June 12.
Participants in the marathon’s premier 42-kilometer category will run from SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City to SM City North EDSA in Quezon City using portions of EDSA’s bus lane and adjacent lanes.
The MMDA said runners will use the EDSA bus lane from SM Mall of Asia to Buendia MRT Station.
From Buendia to the Quezon City Academy U-turn slot near SM North EDSA Annex, participants will occupy the two lanes beside the bus lane.
To accommodate the race, the outermost lane between SM Mall of Asia and Buendia MRT Station will temporarily serve as the EDSA Bus Carousel lane.
The agency said the bus lane configuration from Buendia MRT Station to Caloocan City will remain unchanged.
The Magallanes flyovers in both directions will be temporarily closed as runners pass through the area, and reopened once the last participant has cleared each section.
A stop-and-go scheme will also be implemented for EDSA buses operating between PITX and SM Mall of Asia.
Motorists were advised to use perpendicular roads and designated Mabuhay Lanes as alternate routes during the marathon.
MMDA Chairman Don Artes said mobile pumping units will be on standby should rain affect the event, and that assistance from the Department of Public Works and Highways has been requested due to the possibility of wet weather.
