IN his campaign sorties, in television and print interviews, and in various social-media platforms, then-presidential candidate and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte boasted to solve Metro Manila traffic, particularly the horrendous daily gridlock in Edsa in only three months.
Yes, three months! This was music to harassed motorists and commuters’ ears. At long last, they thought that their daily commuting calvary would be finally over.
Now midway into his reign as the country’s president, Duterte surrendered and told disappointed motorists and commuters that he’d just leave Edsa to rot, blaming the inaction of Congress to give him emergency powers to implement what he thought could put an end to Edsa’s traffic woes.
Traffic planners at the the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are practically whacking their heads in coming up with viable solutions to solve traffic problems, which cost an estimated P3.5 billion a day, as per a study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Estimates made by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) show that the volume of cars—385,000—plying Edsa daily is much higher than its capacity of 240,000 a day.
Duterte’s bright and the brightest among his traffic managers have since come up with impossible and laughable solutions—provincial bus ban, no private cars during peak hours, adding more lanes not by widening the road but by squeezing lane markers, among others which all the more angered the commuting and—by and large—the general public.
It doesn’t take a genius to see that the length and width of the 24-kilometer circumferential road remains the same over the years while the number of cars and buses traversing it, and the commercial establishments in its periphery have mushroomed more than 10-fold. From this basic fact, it would seem that no short- and long-term reprieve is in sight and Edsa is doomed to be the country’s largest parking space.
Now comes San Miguel Corp.’s Ramon Ang, the food conglomerate’s maverick president offering to build a 10-lane elevated expressway made of steel that would cover the whole stretch of Edsa.
The proposal promises to significantly cut travel time along the elevated expressway that connects the cities of Caloocan, Quezon, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Makati and Pasay. It also has access roads to business districts, such as the Ortigas Center, Makati and Bonifacio Global City.
Fresh from getting from the government the “notice to proceed” with San Miguel’s P745-billion international airport in Bulacan province, this latest unsolicited proposal from the company could well be a significant paradigm shift in doing infra projects in the country. Not only could the road be extended all the way to the Cavite Expressway in southern Metro Manila, it can also accommodate a devoted bus system, also known as a bus rapid transit, which can carry up to 1.5 million passengers daily. The proposed elevated Edsa expressway could also compliment San Miguel’s Skyway Stage 3, the extension of South Luzon Expressway, which would connect the northern and southern parts of Metro Manila by early 2020.
Mr. Ang knows his business and I’m sure his planners have factored in all possible scenario that would make this project stand out from the rest. I’m just curious about the use of steel in this undertaking. Most expressways are made in combination of several other materials such as asphalt and cement, and I’m wondering whether metal roads are better than the traditional asphalt and cement.
According to some experts I’ve talked with, metal roads cost higher than asphalt or bitumen tarred roads. But this shouldn’t be a problem since San Miguel would not have proposed it if it doesn’t have the wherewithal to complete it.
They also said that while metal is more durable, exposure to weather, continuous vehicle loads and earth settlement would cause the sheets to warp, rust, and rip apart at the joints. Metal roads would be much harder and costlier to repair than asphalt roads.
They also explained that metal is three times as heavy as concrete. Adhesion between the roadbed and the metal could be a challenge.
Still, Steel bridges are widely used globally albeit in different structural forms—highway bridges, railway bridges and footbridges. Their main plus over other construction materials are their strength, malleability (making it easier to fabricate), and speedy construction. It is sturdier in both tension and compression than concrete, and has relatively good strength to cost ratio and stiffness to weight ratio. It is a versatile and effective material that provides efficient and sustainable solutions, particularly for a long span of elevated roads requiring enhanced seismic performance.
At the end of the day, San Miguel’s unquestionable pedigree should put to rest all concerns about its ambitious, yet innovative solution to the country’s infra distresses. It would be foolhardy for this government to put it in the back burner.
For comments and suggestions, e-mail me at mvala.v@gmail.com