Behind The Posts: New Driving Direction To DFA From NLEX

Last June 17, 2011, I decided to drive to President Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard to check the road I've seen previously. I was restless and the image of unfinished intersection in one of the major arteries of our city's metropolitan network had kept bugging me. And so, in an instant, I drove off to the location.

I parked at McDonald's opposite DFA Office of Consular Affairs, had some snack then decided to walk across Macapagal Boulevard towards Bradco Street, the road that intersects Macapagal Boulevard and the purpose of me going here.

I saw a lot of people gathering in front of DFA gate along Bradco Street. Obviously, these people were passport applicants. A security officer was managing the crowd and giving necessary assistance. I approached the security officer and ask him where a passport applicant who arrives in DFA by car could park. And he pointed me to the large pay parking area located just opposite us in the other corner of Bradco and Macapagal Boulevard intersection.

From there I walked along Bradco towards Roxas Boulevard. Bradco is a wide newly built road without center island making it looked wider. Previously, I was there but then it wasn't completely finished with only two west lane opened and motorists that supposed to be at east bound lane shared the lane with those going in. That time, lots of vehicles already used it and so there's a bit heavy traffic.

Today, particularly when I've seen it this lately, the east end of the road perpendicular to Roxas Boulevard is wide open. There's no build up of traffic and vehicles passing through this road that seems to be the gateway to Aseana Business District get in and out in free-flowing directions to and from Roxas Boulevard.

That's the time when something occurred in my mind that said, "Surely, a new driving direction via Roxas Boulevard to DFA Office of Consular Affairs had opened through this road."

I went and checked if I was right. I walked along Roxas Boulevard from Bradco towards Baclaran. Yes, I headed northward. In my mind, it's clear that the traffic along Roxas Boulevard is light compare to Macapagal Boulevard. And if I based my judgement on what I saw in the south bound lane of Roxas Boulevard, I was right. But I needed to see from overhead. I climbed the pedestrian overpass in Baclarand, stood in the middle and looked exactly towards EDSA-Roxas flyover. And guess what, traffic heading towards me from the flyover is very little, few vehicles are using Roxas Boulevard. There's a few public buses and jeepney below the pedestrian overpass where I was standing. I thought it would have at any rate some effects on private cars. To see on what extent, I observed a maroon Nissan Altima as it approached towards the bottom of the overpass passing through the leftmost lane which is nearer to center island. I could read the plate number but there's no need to have it written here. The moment it passed under the overpass I immediately went to the other side of the overpass and amazed to have seen the sedan passed through quick and onto south until I barely saw it from the distance. And so I concluded, it's faster to travel south via Roxas Boulevard than via Macapagal Boulevard.