MANILA - Authorities are set to deploy some 200 traffic aides along Commonwealth Ave. on Feb. 23 during the closure of the Tandang Sora flyover and intersection that will make way for the construction of the MRT-7.

The Metro Manila Development Authority said it will deploy 140 personnel in 2 shifts along the area to assist motorists who may experience heavier traffic because of the MRT-7 construction.

The Quezon City Department of Public Order and Safety will assign another 100 aides along the alternate routes in the area, said MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia.

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The Tandang Sora flyover on Commonwealth Ave. and the intersection underneath will be closed on Feb. 23 for the construction of the MRT-7 tracks and station in the area.

Traffic management along Commonwealth will be a "challenge" because 2,000 to 3,000 vehicles that normally cross the Tandang Sora intersection will need to make a U-Turn to get to the other side of the avenue, said Garcia.

Motorists will need to "swerve" through 9 to 10 lanes to reach U-turn slots along Commonwealth, and then maneuver through another 9 to 10 lanes to get to the other side, he said.

About 100,000 vehicles pass through Commonwealth daily and traffic may slow down near U-turn slots, Garcia said.

"So ito yung tingin namin na magkakaroon ng problema dahil makikipagpatintero po yung two to three thousand na motorista dun sa close to 100 thousand na dumadaan dyan sa Commonwealth," he told DZMM Teleradyo.

The MMDA has proposed constructing elevated U-turn slots to ease traffic along Commonwealth.

Garcia clarified that only the Tandang Sora flyover and the crossing underneath will be closed. The Luzon-Katipunan flyover will remain open.

Construction of the MRT-7 is expected to be finished in 2020. It was originally expected to be finished by August 2019, but right of way issues have delayed the project.