The construction of the elevated expressway along EDSA might begin in the middle of next year once San Miguel Corp. (SMC) secures Department of Transportation (DOTr) approval.
“We have submitted all the requirements to the DOTr. I hope we can convince Secretary Arthur Tugade to fast-track the processing,” SMC president and COO Ramon Ang said.
Ang said that the infrastructure project, which is expected to help resolve the worsening traffic situation on EDSA, will be completed in two years.
He earlier said that SMC would pour in around $3 billion for the construction of the elevated expressway, which stretches from Macapagal Avenue to Balintawak or Samson Road, Quezon City.
The 38-kilometer Jakarta-inspired expressway will have a 10-lane expressway composed of five southbound and five northbound lanes.
Ang said that something has to be done to remedy the traffic situation that has been a daily problem among Filipinos.
He said that around one million vehicles are added to vehicle traffic every year and EDSA remains the lone thoroughfare that connects northern and southern Luzon.
Meanwhile, Ang said that motorists could experience lighter traffic by April 2020 with the completion and opening of SMC’s Skyway Stage 3 project.
That infrastructure project is seen to reduce around 50 percent of vehicles on EDSA. It stretches from Buendia, Makati to San Juan, Manila, Quezon City, and the North Luzon Expressway. – Richmond Mercurio