By Ashley Erika O. Jose, Reporter
REHABILITATION WORK on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), Metro Manila’s main circumferential road, is now expected to start as late as 2027, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said.
“It is not feasible anymore to begin the project this year (due to the rains). We can do this maybe next year” or even 2027, Public Works Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan told reporters on the sidelines of the post-State of the Nation Address briefings on Wednesday.
The rehabilitation of EDSA was initially set to begin on June 13 with completed expected by 2027. However, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. ordered the suspension of the project, citing the need for further study and to reduce its expected impact on commuters, motorists, and broader economic activity. Mr. Marcos also instructed his officials to look into the possibility of shortening the project’s duration.
Mr. Bonoan said another consideration arguing against a 2025 start date is the expected hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in 2026.
Nigel Paul C. Villarete, senior adviser on public-private partnerships at the technical advisory group Libra Konsult, Inc., said it is not advisable to further delay projects as massive as the EDSA rebuild.
“Economic costs increase over time, much more if it involves a delay of economic benefits which are crucial in transport infrastructure,” Mr. Villarete said.
Rene S. Santiago, former president of the Transportation Science Society of the Philippines said traffic would be worse in 2027.
“It merely postpones the pain,” he added.
A 2018 Japan International Cooperation Agency study estimated the economic cost of road congestion in Metro Manila at around P3.5 billion per day.
“It will always be more difficult to do infrastructure when you postpone, especially in transport since demand and volume always increases over time,” Mr. Villarete said.
The DPWH has a best-case estimate of 6 months for rehabilitating EDSA and noted the possibility of coming in under the initially estimated cost of P15 billion.
The Department of Transportation has said that it is working with other agencies to assess options for expediting the rehabilitation, including innovative construction methods that promise shorter completion times over conventional methods.