Easing EDSA traffic: San Miguel pushes 10-lane 22-kilometer ‘elevated EDSA’ proposal

(File photo of traffic along EDSA)

 

(Eagle News) – There might still be hope for decongesting the heavy traffic along EDSA, with the proposal of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) to build an “elevated EDSA” — a 10 lane elevated 22 kilometer expressway that will run fro Macapagal Avenue in Pasay City to Samson Road in Balintawak.

Ramon S. Ang, President and Chief Operating Officer of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has already submitted partial documents on the proposal to the Department of Transportation (DOTr), and is preparing the required financial documents and other financial studies on the project.

The Elevated EDSA will have a tollway and is also targeted to ease the transport of passengers to the New Manila International Airport in Bulacan which SMC is also building.

Ang said that the construction of the elevated EDSA would cost about $3 billion.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade had already mentioned the ongoing talks about the project during the SMC’s Bulacan Airport project signing ceremony last September.

“Yung Elevated EDSA pinaguusapan namin yan, Meron na ‘yan.” Tugade said.

The elevated EDSA is a steel toll road which will be built much higher than the MRT-3.

Once the project is approved, the SMC is targeting the partial operation of the ‘Elevated EDSA’ within 30 months.

The elevated EDSA will link the Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX) to the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX)

In July, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) disclosed that about 385,000 vehicles pass through EDSA daily which already exceeds the capacity of the 23-kilometer highway of 240,000 to 250,000 vehicles a day.

The 10-lane “elevated EDSA” would have five lanes each for northbound and the southbound.

Aside from this elevated EDSA, SMC is also planning to build a Bataan-Bulacan Airport Expressway, Bulacan-Tarlac Airport Expressway, a San Jose del Monte to San Jose, Nueva Ecija Expressway, an MRT7 to NMIA Expressway.  It is also proposing to build  expressways connecting NMIA to Balintawak, Sgt. Rivera, Buendia, Anda Circle in Manila, Lawton (BGC), Tramo in Pasay, Mall of Asia in Pasay, San Pedro and Calamba in Laguna), and Tagaytay in Cavite.

The various expressways will converge at the food and transport hub in Pandacan, Manila which connects to South Luzon Expressway Skyway Stage 3, and will combine with the MRT-7 railway which is currently under construction from North EDSA to San Jose del Monte in Bulacan.   It will also complement an even longer railway from Tutuban to Bicol.   (with a report from Jarylle Renz Victoriano)