The Department of Transportation said over the weekend it would soon start the civil works for the construction of three busway concourses along Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue.
“These concourses are strategically located along EDSA providing accessible and convenient access for commuters,” Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said.
“The concourses will feature state-of-the art architecture with concierge, ticketing booths, turnstile for the automated fare collection system as well as ramps and elevators,” he said.
Bautista said that once completed, the concourses would serve around 300,000 daily commuters along EDSA.
The SM Group and the DOTr signed a memorandum of agreement for the construction of the EDSA Busway concourses in November 2020. Under the agreement, the concourses are to be built at SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City and SM North EDSA in Quezon City.
SM invested over P120 million for the project.
The concourses are expected to boost the efficiency of the EDSA Busway―a joint project of the DOTr, Department of Public Works and Highways and the Metro Manila Development Authority.
The government launched the EDSA Busway at the height of the pandemic in June 2020 to provide seamless movement of high-capacity public utility buses.
DOTr assistant secretary for road transport and infrastructure Steven Pastor had said that additional concourses would be constructed in other stations of the EDSA Busway.
“Through our private partners, the Double Dragon and Wenceslao Group, the next two concourses would be located at Roxas Boulevard and Macapagal Avenue. On top of that, there would be four additional stations at Buendia, Taft, Roxas Boulevard and Tramo,” Pastor said.