As EDSA rehab looms, Skyway eyed as alternative route

The government is considering allowing motorists to use portions of the Skyway for free once major repair begins on EDSA this coming June.

In Joseph Morong’s Tuesday report on “24 Oras,” the EDSA rehabilitation will begin on June 13.

Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said Metro Manila’s major thoroughfare will undergo large-scale repair since reblocking and asphalting the road is no longer enough.

Officials said the stretch between Roxas Boulevard in Manila and Guadalupe, Makati will be the first to be affected.

According to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), EDSA will be repaired per lane.

“Yung mga kababayan natin na imbes na sa EDSA meron silang ibang dadaanan, alternative na dadaanan at ang pinakamadaling alternative na dadaanan ay ang Skyway,” Dizon said.

(Instead of traversing EDSA, they will have an alternative route. The best option would be the Skyway.)

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said repair work on EDSA would take about two years, but the EDSA bus carousel would remain operational during the whole time.

EDSA buses will use the adjacent lane while the remaining lanes will be for private vehicles.

“Wala tayong magagawa. Kailangan unahin natin ang commuter,” Dizon said.

(There's nothing we can do. We have to prioritize commuters.)  

To ease the travel of commuters, some facilities of the EDSA bus carousel were fixed, including 18 elevators at six of its stations. Wheelchair lifts were also installed for persons with disabilities.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court partially lifted the temporary restraining order against the No Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP), allowing only the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to implement it in areas under its jurisdiction.

“Yung mga violators, hindi na namin kailangang parahin, mag-talo, isyuhan physically ng ticket na habang ginagawa yun ay nakakaabala pa sa traffic. So, kung may NCAP, tuloy-tuloy na yung takbo at huhulihin na lang namin through CCTV camera,” MMDA chairman Romando Artes said.

(We don’t have to stop motorists to issue a physician ticket, get into arguments, as this causes traffic. With the NCAP, violators will be caught via CCTV cameras.)

Dizon also said the government is hastening the completion of the Common Station of the LRT-1, MRT-3, and MRT-7, which was supposed to have been finished in 2021. He added DOTr is looking for another contractor for its completion.

“Ang target natin by early 2027, tapos na lahat. Tapos na ang Common Station, MRT-7 and nakakonekta na tayo sa LRT-1 papuntang MRT-3 and MRT-7,” Dizon said.

(Our target is to finish everything by early 2027. We aim to finish the Common Station, MRT-7, and that LRT-1 is connected to the MRT-3 and MRT-7.) —Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News