The Department of Public Works and Highways on Monday cited additional reasons in support of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s decision to delay the rehabilitation of EDSA.
Marcos previously suspended the rehabilitation project, stating that it would provide an opportunity for government agencies to “find a better way” to address the decades-old highway’s issues.
DPWH noted that Marcos’ had concerns about the impending inconvenience that the project would bring to the people and various businesses.
According to DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed interest in exploring ways to shorten the duration of the EDSA rehabilitation project. Bonoan said the President is keen on minimizing the disruption the project may cause and has asked if some strategies or adjustments could accelerate its completion while still ensuring quality and safety standards are met.
“We have to go back to the drawing board and see kung paano namin mapapabilis ‘yung pagpapagawa ng EDSA, including ‘yung inaano ni President, that we have to look into new technologies of construction and materials that are available,” the DPWH chief said.
“Iniiwasan natin ‘yung weekend na reblocking. The entire EDSA pavement is almost 50 years old. Pag nag-start mag break ‘yung pavement niyan, I think it’s going to be exponential,” he added.
Under the original plan, the rehabilitation of EDSA was set to begin with the stretch from Pasay City to Shaw Boulevard. This initial phase was expected to span a period of two to three years, depending on the pace of implementation and construction progress.
As part of the broader rehabilitation strategy, authorities also proposed introducing an “odd-even” number coding scheme. This traffic management measure aimed to help ease congestion along EDSA during the rehabilitation period by limiting the number of vehicles on the road based on the last digit of their license plates.