DPWH, DOTr promote walkable EDSA to support fuel conservation efforts

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is working with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) in pushing for walkable infrastructure on EDSA amid fuel conservation efforts in the wake of the Middle East conflict.

At a media conference in Manila on Friday, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s  directive was to ease the burden of commuters.

“Kung magagawa natin yung walkable infrastructure sa EDSA, [then] kahit saan sa Pilipinas magagawa natin. Definitely, yan ang kabilin-bilinan ni Presidente [sa aming] dalawa ni [Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez]. We really need to make commuters and pedestrians a top priority,” Dizon said.

(If we can implement this walkable infrastructure along EDSA, we can do it anywhere in the Philippines. Definitely, that is what the President had told me and Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez. We really need to make commuters and pedestrians a top priority.)

Dizon said EDSA has least 750,000 commuters daily through the EDSA busway and the MRT-3. These commuters often risk accidents by walking along the road due to a lack of walkable infrastructure.

The DPWH is now working on making wider sidewalks and installing bike lanes on the sidewalks.

“Kung 'di ka magdaraan sa EDSA, di mo ma-realize na madaming kababayan na libo-libo na dumadaan diyan araw-araw. Akala niyo kotse lang ang nadaan sa EDSA. 'Di totoo yun. Ang daming mga commuter… Bibilangin mo pa ang mga kababayan nating sumasakay ng bus, bumababa, tapos agaw-buhay na naglalakad sa EDSA dahil walang sidewalk, kaya naglalakad sila kasama ang mga kamote na nagmomotor at mga sasakyan. Kawawa sila. So we need to look at the commuters,” he said.

(If you do not pass through EDSA, you will not realize that thousands of our fellow citizens pass through every day. You would think that only vehicles pass through EDSA, but that’s not true. There are a lot of commuters… You would have to count the citizens who ride the bus, go down, and risk their lives with the reckless riders and cars. They’re pitiful. So we really need to look at the commuters.)

Meanwhile, the DPWH secretary said that he expected road repairs along Roxas Boulevard to Orense to finish by June 2026.

It was initially planned to take two years, but was shortened to only eight months to lessen disruption.

Roadworks also only took place from 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m., with EDSA already passable by 5 a.m.

He called on the public to bear with the construction work, as the rehabilitation would benefit them in the long-run.

“Yung construction, kailangan natin gawin whether we like it or not. Kung ayaw natin ng construction, ayaw natin ng konting aberya, huwag na tayo magpagawa. We will just settle sa bako-bakong EDSA. Ngayon, ang kailangan gawin ng gobyerno ay mag-isip ng paraan para minimal yung obstruction. Minimal yung effect nito,” he said.

(We really need to do the construction whether we like it or not. If we don’t want to do the construction, we don’t want a little bit of disruption, then let’s just not do rehabilitation. We will just settle with a deteriorated EDSA. Now, what the government needs to do is to think of a way to have minimal obstruction. The effects must be minimal.)

As of February 2026, DPWH said that they have entered the final stages of the preparation for the procurement of Phase 2, which targets roadworks along Orense to Cubao. –NB, GMA Integrated News