‘EDSA rebuild’ may last until 2027 - DPWH

Metro Manila, Philippines - The entire 'rebuild' of Epifanio delos Santos Ave. (EDSA) may take two years, a year before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ends his term, Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan said on Wednesday, May 21.

“Ang original estimate namin for total rehabilitation ng EDSA barring po sana itong ASEAN meeting, it will take us about two years, concentrating on the southbound and then the other year will be for the northbound,” he said in an interview with NewsWatch Plus’ “The Newsmaker.”

[Translation: Our original estimate for the total rehabilitation of EDSA—barring the ASEAN meeting was that it would take us about two years: one year focusing on the southbound, and the other year for the northbound.]

Bonoan said the government aims to finish priority sections such as the southbound and northbound portions of Pasay to Shaw Blvd. in Mandaluyong City, by the end of the year or early 2026, in anticipation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings in Manila next year.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) earlier said the rebuild will begin on June 13 after successive delays.

Citing the original plan, Bonoan said the overhaul will be lane by lane, beginning from the exclusive EDSA busway. Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said there will still be a dedicated bus lane even during the rehabilitation period.

“The busway will be the first lane…when we complete the busway, we’ll transfer to the adjacent lane,” Bonoan said.

He also noted that the overhaul of the northbound portion of Balintawak to Caloocan will begin in mid-June.

Meanwhile, in a separate interview on Wednesday, Dizon defended the need to rehabilitate EDSA, saying it will result in smoother travel.

He also clarified that the project is not meant to alleviate traffic woes.

“Ang pag-rebuild ng EDSA ay hindi solusyon sa traffic. Whoever told you that is wrong. ang solusyon sa traffic, ultimate solution is mass transportation,” said Dizon.

[Translation: Rebuilding EDSA is not a traffic solution. Whoever told you that is wrong. The solution to traffic is mass transportation.]

Guadalupe bridge

Meanwhile, the DPWH said repairs on the Guadalupe bridge, which links the cities of Mandaluyong and Makati, will not coincide with the EDSA rebuild.

The MMDA earlier said rehabilitation works in the aging infrastructure would begin in October 2025.

“We will not touch Guadalupe bridge in 2025. The only thing we are going to do in Guadalupe bridge is actually in 2025 and up to the middle of 2026 is to construct detour bridges, alongside the existing Guadalupe bridge. And then if we will have space after the summit meeting, that will be the time where we reconstruct the two outer structures in Guadalupe bridge,” said Bonoan.

The MMDA said rehabilitating the five-decade-old bridge is necessary in preparation for the so-called “Big One” or a devastating earthquake that could hit Metro Manila.