The Department of Transportation (DOTr) confirmed Monday that the long-delayed reconstruction of EDSA will finally commence by mid-June. Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said the extensive overhaul will last approximately a year and a half, acknowledging it will significantly worsen traffic on Metro Manila’s main artery during the construction period.
To help ease the anticipated gridlock, Dizon said the DOTr is in “advanced talks” with San Miguel Corp., operator of the Skyway, to suspend toll collection in select areas of the elevated expressway while the project is underway.
“The easiest alternative route is the Skyway,” Dizon said. “If this project takes a year and a half, maybe two years, we’re planning to make a segment of the Skyway toll-free, so people can avoid EDSA by using the elevated road instead.”
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the lead agency for the EDSA rebuild, said it has coordinated with the DOTr and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to implement a traffic management plan, which will include alternative routes.
“In a few days, we’ll have the traffic protocols ready, likely within June,” DPWH Secretary Manny Bonoan said in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview. “What’s important is to clearly inform the motoring public about what to expect and how the rerouting schemes will work.”
Despite the inconvenience the project may cause, Dizon emphasized the urgency of rehabilitating EDSA.
“The President’s vision is to fix EDSA once and for all,” he said. “The last time a major reconstruction was done was 45 to 50 years ago. At Balintawak station, parts of the concrete on the busway are already peeling off, posing a danger to buses. Tires are getting damaged because the roadwork on EDSA has been patchy and inconsistent.”
Although the MMDA has yet to publish a detailed rerouting plan, officials believe the partial lifting of the temporary restraining order on the No Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP) will help regulate traffic not just on EDSA, but on other major roads as well.