Mendiola Bridge would relieve downtown traffic 40%

Media

Part of The American Chamber of Commerce Journal

Title: Mendiola Bridge would relieve downtown traffic 40%
Creator: Minton, Frank Lewis
Language: English
Year: 1934
Rights
Abstract: Crux of problem is the unimproved condition of Pandacan, whence heavy traffic emerges from warehouses and industrial plants.
Fulltext: January, 1934 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL 5 Mendiola Bridge Would Relieve Downtown Traffic 40? Crux of problem is the unimproved condition of Pandacan, whence heavy traffic emerges from warehouses and industrial plants By Frank Lewis Minton It is axiomatic that the best way to relieve traffic congestion on a bridge is to build another bridge. Nowhere is the truth of this statement brought home more forcibly than in Manila, where one recalcitrant carromata pony, or one unhurried carabao, may hold up a line of traffic, however long, on any bridge or at any street intersection. On February 16, 1931, the Bureau of Public Works announced the early construction of a steel bridge across the Pasig river at Mendiola street. According to the Manila Daily Bulletin, Feb. 17, 1931, Mayor Tomds Earnshaw advised J. Cookingham, then acting Direc tor of Pub lic Works, that the necessary funds would be made available from the 1*2,000,000 bond issue, which was a part of the P10,000,000 bonded in debtedness authorized for the city of Manila. The pro posed struc ture was to be a steel bridge, 420 feet long, exclusive of approaches, composed’of three ‘spans each 140feet in length. There would have been two road ways, each 20 feet ed streets, the neglect ed and even dangerous condition of tr/givingli , -J II How the Mendiola Bridge Would Rout Heavy Traffic from the Pandacan Industrial District Around the Dov bridge a l Calle Azcarraga acity ofM clear, the I capacity __ four lanes of traffic, with a six-foot sidewalk al either side. The estimated cost of the bridge was 1*700,000, exclusive of approaches ajid street development. It was pointed out by officials, and others, that—conser vatively speaking—60% <>f the heavy freight traffic, or 35% of all business traffic, would be diverted from the Jones, Sta. Cruz and Ayala bridges to calle Azcarraga via the Mendiola street bridge when the project was completed; that the dis tance to downtown points and roadheads leading to Pampanga, Tarlac, Pangasinan and the Ilocos country would be considerably decreased, thus benefiting the industrial plants at Pandacan, and their many customers and consumers who, having their own trucks or other means of transportation, take delivery of goods, bring copra or other produce to sell, and transact other business in the Pandacan district. Again the point was stressed that the best way to relieve traffic congestion is to build another bridge, and to build it at a point where heavy traffic would certainly and permanent ly be diverted from the other bridges, and also from certain residential and downtown streets. It was shown that the completion of the Mendiola project and the considerable widening of callejon Jesus would greatly reduce traffic on the narrow and dangerous calle Zamora. To the considerable disappointment of Pandacan residents, and to concerns having warehouses or plants in the Panda can district, and to their many cus tomers and consumers, the Men diola street plans seem to have been indefinitely shelved. These peo ple point out the need of short and adequate routes for heavy freight traf fic, the ex pense to them and their custom ers occasion ed by being forced to tra verse long and circuito u s and vercrowd District and Along streets in Pandacan and vicinity, contrasted with their commercial and industrial import ance, and heavy tax burdens. All correspondence concerning (he Mendiola street project in the Bureau of Public Works was destroyed in the recent Intramuros fire, but according to such information as has yet been made available, for publication, the plan was dropped in the interests of economy. A few days after the Mendiola plans were made public another huge project was announced— the great vehicle, tramway and railway bridge over the lower Pasig—connecting Bonifacio drive with calle del Pan. This project was obviously too ambitious at the time. It would have cost over 1*3,000,000 exclusive of street development and the cost of land for the approaches; and it would have forced the Manila railroad to invest considerable sums in rail ex tensions at an inopportune time. The relative merits of the 6 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL January, 1934 lower Pasig and the Mendiola projects were discussed, some what desultorily, for a few weeks. Then the subject was dropped. The newest project for the relief of traffic congestion is the Ayala Bridge Addition. It is proposed to build another bridge contiguous to the present Ayala structure, with a capacity of three lanes of traffic and 12-foot sidewalk. It is understood that the supports of the proposed structure would be of sufficient size and strength to permit of doubling the width of the new bridge when, and if, necessary. Two esti mates have been prepared: one for a steel bridge to cost P450,000, and one for a concrete structure to cost 1*600,000. It is obvious that neither estimate includes the cost of land for approaches, nor the development of calle Pascual Casal. In order to demonstrate the need of new arteries of traffic, leading directly to Provincial roadheads and downtown dis tricts, rather than the development of circuitous and already overcrowded routes traversing congested districts, the writer has obtained figures which give some idea of the immense and rapidly increasing tonnage of Pandacan freight traffic, the’diversion of which would relieve congestion and make for greater safety of passenger traffic on residential streets, and in the*crowded downtown districts. It is, of cour se, impossible to state exactly the tonnage of street traffic between Pan dacan and Ma nila, but by consistent un derstatement of figures, se cured from the various reliable sources, it is at least possible to arrive at the absolute minimum estimate of such traffic; so the reader may be sure . that the following estimate is less than the actual tonnage. First let us glance at the tables, taken from the reports of the Insular Collector of Customs, covering a period of ten years: A Bulletin Cut Proposed Mendiola Street Bridge: An Urgent Project Already 4 Years Old—while demand grows. Mineral Oil Imports 11,937 1923 . .4,548 1924 . .8,410 1925 . 15,035 1926 . 4,042 1927 . 13,613 1928 . '3,185 1929 . ■6,086 1930 . 13,969 1931 . 0,751 1932 . Fl,676 Total, 1923 ............................... 19,633,063 1924 ............................... 38,878,404 1925 ............................... 48,315,908 1926 ............................... 55,221,007 1927 ............................... 53,860,209 1928 ............................... 86,803,351 1929 ............................... 97,308,532 1930 ............................... 93,382,805 1931 ............................... 145,250,834 1932 ............................... 120,611,582 Total ............................. 759,321,355 Asphaltum, Kilos 1923 ............................... 1,867,608 1924 ................................... 2,421,332 1925 ............................... 1,770,149 1926 ............................... 2,155,005 1927 ............................... 1,289,966 1928 ............................... 3,525,445 1929 ............................... 4,095,278 1930 ............................... 7,397,114 1931 ............................... 7,003,425 1932 ............................... 8,211,087 Total.............................. 39,777,409 Total liters................... 3,887,574,882 Total kilos................... 51,015,548 1923 ............................... 7,194,278 1924 ............................... 10,300,961 1925 ............................... 9,057,243 1920 ............................... 11,025,431 1927 ............................... 9,140,137 1928 ............................... 15,051,711 1929 ............................... 11,533,870 1930 ............................... 14,497,075 1931 ............................... 12,544,842 1932 ............................... 17,060,949 Total............................. 118,012,503 Residuum-. Tar, etc.. Kilos 1923 ............................... 367,840 1924 ............................... 1,549,461 1925 ............................... 1,783,843 1926 ............................... 927,082 1927 ............................... 853,173 1928 ............................... 1,136,607 1929 ............................... 1,174,585 1930 ............................... 925,591 1931 ............................... 2,204,385 1932 .............................. 525,G90 Total............................. , 11,238,317 A liter of gnsoline weighs slightly less than a kilo. For this reason the imports of Napthas, other than Motor Spirits, which amount to about 100,000 liters annually, has been left out of the above tables, and the rough total is taken as 4 billion kilos of petroleum products during the 10 years from 1923 to 1932 inclusive. Analyzing the foregoing figures we find that, allowing for the lighter distillates of gasoline, not listed herein, over 4 billion kilos of petroleum and its by-products have been del ivered in the Philippines during the past decade. Approx imately 2 billion kilos of this amount has been received in Manila. Of the Manila consignments, a half, or a billion kilos have been delivered by truck or lighter carriers, the other half by rail and river. Considerably over 90% of the Islands’ business in petroleum products is handled by the 6 great companies having their storage tanks in Pandacan. This means that over 900,000 tons of petroleum products, alone, have passed through tiny callejon Jesus, and along the narrow and dangerous calle Zamora during the past ten years—an average of 90,000 tons per year. It is estimated that Spencer Kellogg & Sons, and other plants operating in Pandacan add between 20% and 30% to the huge volume of traffic passing over these narrow streets. Thus, adding 18,000 tons to the 90,000 tons of petroleum products, we find that at least 108,000 tons of miscellaneous freight pass through callejon Jesus and calle Zamora each year. Nine thousand net tons of freight per month. But do these figures actually cover the present freight traffic? Let us glance again at the table of imports. In 1932 the imports of motor spirits amounted to 120,611,592 li ters, as against 19,633,663 in 1923; while lubricating oil imports jump ed from 7,194,278 liters in 1923 to 17,006,949 liters in 1932. In other words gasoline dispatches were 6 times greater in 1932 than in 1923; while lubricating oil dispatches had more than doubled. This gives some idea of the tremendous and rapidly increasing traffic tonnage which chokes Jesus and Zamora streets, which might be diverted from the Jones and Ayala bridges and crowded downtown streets by the completion of the Mendiola project and the widening of callejon Jesus sufficiently to accommodate four lines of traffic. To give this portrayal even greater clarity let us contrast the number of truck trips in 1923 with that of 1932. In 1923 there were some heavy trucks and bulk-lorries operating between Pandacan and the downtown districts, averaging 3 round trips per day—48 1-way trips on calle Zamora, ex clusive of miscellaneous freight traffic. Today, between 30 and 35 heavy trucks and lorries carry petroleum products over this street, on an average of 3 times each per day—180 1-way trips daily, or 18 trips per hour, estimating a 10-hour day. Yet Jesus and Zamora streets are the same width, and in about the same condition as in 1923. Obviously, these streets urgently need widening and thorough asphalting. Bear in mind that the foregoing figures indicate only net freight tonnage. Bear in mind also that the flow of traffic is not uniform. One of the largest Pandacan concerns reports freight dispatches numbering from 60 to 120 per day; while an average of 30 customers per day, having their own trucks or other means of transportation, call to take delivery of their orders from the warehouse. It is over-conservative to say that from 300 to 600 loads of freight are dispatched from Pandacan daily, not to mention the produce and miscellaneous stuff that arrives daily. More than one-half of this freight passes over the Jones, the Sta. Cruz, and the Ayala bridges, and through the crowded downtown streets; it is carried in every type of vehicle, from carabao carts to the 5-ton trucks on the oil distributors. Can we blame the police department for the traffic jams at bridgeheads, Goiti and Moraga plazas, and at all street intersections? Would it not be better effectually and permanently to divert from 30% to 50% of this traffic (Please turn to page 14) 14 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL January, 1934 friendly and cordial relations with the natives, and try every possible way to bring them to a knowledge of our religion. 17. If the officials named by us are not sufficient in number, you will choose for each island as many as may be wanting; in order to comply with the instructions and orders you have been given, administer our revenue and effect everything the other officials do in the other provinces of the Indies. Such appoint ments will be temporary and you will give us notice of them that we may provide as may be convenient. Persons who are to have places and offices are to be paid their salaries by our treasury from the fruits of the land, from our mines; they are to be nominated by the proper officials, their nominations certified by the Governor of the Province. 19. You will take with you four religious from among those that may now be in said islands; or, there not being so many, two re ligious who are resourceful and of high character, who are familiar with the doctrine and the ad ministration of the sacrament. 20. You will see to it diligently that the Spaniards do the natives no injury or violence, that they do not wound them or hurt them in any way, or take their lands, but accord them the same good treatment they would accord their own people; and if any Spaniard offends them, you and your captains shall punish him rigorously, without delay; and not doing so, but neglecting to do so, we command you to do so with great rigor—as something we very much desire accomplished, contravention of which we shall take as a great disservice to us. 21. Arriving at that land, you will report to us an account of your voyage and the manner in which you disembarked and were received, of what you find there and learn about the country, and anything else of which you feel we ought to be apprised, with your opinion as to what should be provided, that r.'e/may better give order as to what may best cor. \uence the service of God our Lord and yoursrand so do afterward when you deem it advisable. 22. All which we charge upon you and order you to note and comply with inviolably, as other wise we shall consider ourselves disserved. Dated in Madrid, August 2S, 1569—1 the King— By order of His Majesty: Francisco de Lois. In Europe we study Philip II in his character as a soldier, monarch of a greqt empire in im placable conflict with another, rising under the sovereignty of Elizabeth and the inspiration of a faith Philip believed to be impeachable heresy. In the Philippines we study him as a Christian prince sending missions to the remotest isles of the world to enlighten the inhabitants, and at the same time carefully to protect them. So we see him here in a different light altogether than the sanguinary blaze that, shone over Europe from the stake and the battlefields, the bivouacs of besieging armies, the fires of belea guered cities. \Ve get a better view of him, and it broadens and mellows our understanding. It resembles what the French say of learning another language, it almost gives us another soul. ________ —IF. /?. Mendiola Bridge . . . (Continued from page 6) from the Jones and the Avala bridges and the downtown streets than to widen streets or bridges in the congested sections of the city? In this article only freight traffic is discussed. Every' few minutes a heavy P. I1, passenger tmek rumbles menacingly along calle Zamora, t hrough a maze of pedestrians, carromatas, cyclists and carabao carts. Accidents arc frequent. It is a credit to drivers that so few casualties have occurred. But it is because, realizing t he danger, and speed being practically impossible, the drivers arc more careful in the Pandacan district than elsewhere. The fact remains that about 50% of this passenger traffic would be permanently diverted by the opening of Men diola street and construction of the Mendiola bridge across the Pasig river. 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