The state of traffic along EDSA will return to “acceptable” levels by the end of President Duterte’s term in 2022, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
During the Pre-SONA Economic and Infrastructure Forum, DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said the government needs to decongest around 250,000 to 300,000 cars from Metro Manila’s busiest thoroughfare daily to return it back to “an acceptable level of traffic,“ The STAR reported.
“When you talk about Metro Manila, you don’t have to look further than EDSA as the symbol of congestion. When he ran for the presidency, the President’s promise was to end traffic congestion at EDSA,” Villar said.
The DPWH Secretary said the government is working on various infrastructure projects which would provide alternative routes to EDSA.
Some of these are the Skyway project, expected to purge around 100,000 vehicles once finished. Around 50,000 cars would also be purged once the construction of the NLEX-SLEX connector is completed.
It is also seen to reduce traffic volume by around 50,000 once the C-6 is built and around 50,000 more upon completion of various bridges across Metro Manila.
Villar assured that the “former state” of EDSA would be experienced by motorists once the projects are completed.
“Rest assured this dream of EDSA is not a dream. It has come to a point of inevitability. We will decongest EDSA,” Villar said.
In 2016, the volume of vehicles crossing EDSA – which can only accommodate a daily average of around 245,000 cars a day – rose to 385,000 vehicles a day, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. – With reporting from Richmond Mercurio and Evelyn Macairan/STAR
