Sucat Interchange traffic problem

Vehicle traffic has been a nightmare for the past few days over at the South Superhighway Sucat Interchange due to an ongoing bridge renovation (westbound lane) which began last Saturday, June 2nd.

At present, it takes one entry point or entry lane (there are about 9 or 10 points of entry in the interchange) an average waiting period of more than 30 minutes (!) to switch from a stop signal to a go signal, due to the ongoing construction work. This is compounded by the fact that: 1) you can’t see any semblance of discipline and patience among drivers, and 2) the traffic aides are really incompetent! You’d see them all clumped in one area of the interchange and neglect the other areas – these unchecked areas are the cause of the traffic jams due to the influx of undisciplined drivers. (In fairness, the guys managing the traffic during the day shift are better than their evening shift counterparts, who totally suck!)

The timing of the renovation is awful. The new school year starts next week, which means traffic density in the vicinity of the Sucat Interchange is expected to balloon. And from the looks of it, it’ll take at least a month to complete. If this was a planned activity, then they should have started this mid-summer.

And what really pisses me is the fact that you can hardly see anyone working in the construction area at all! Since the area is such a critical traffic bottleneck, then the contractors and government officials should have anticipated the major traffic problems associated with it. They should have at least deployed construction workers on rotating 24 x 7 shifts and should have provided adequate equipment. I mean, where are the men and machines? You can’t expect to finish the work in time with just half a dozen men armed with pick axes and shovels, can you?