DIVERSIFIED conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) has formally offered its investment proposal for the construction of an elevated expressway above Edsa to decongest the arteries of Metro Manila.
The proposal, initially dubbed by government officials as the Elevated Edsa Expressway, was “submitted last month” to the Department of Transportation (DOTr), according to SMC President Ramon S. Ang.
Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar, who heads the infrastructure cluster of the Duterte Cabinet, confirmed this development.
“It’s now with the DOTr for OPS,” he said, referring to the granting of the original proponent status, which is a prerequisite for unsolicited proposals.
The Elevated Edsa Expressway is envisioned to be a 10-lane thoroughfare between the cities of Pasay and Caloocan. With five lanes per direction, the expressway will run from Macapagal Avenue in Pasay to either Samson Road in Caloocan or Balintawak, Quezon City. It is expected to have dedicated exits and lanes for bus rapid transit systems to hasten travel in Metro Manila.
Ang has said that his group can finish the project within two-and-a-half years from the issuance of the notice to proceed, given that the infrastructure will be made of steel, almost similar to those in Japan and Europe.
The thoroughfare will be connected to the North Luzon Expressway-South Luzon Expressway Connector Road, and is seen as one of the answers to the chronic bottlenecks in Metro Manila.
The facility may cut travel time along Edsa by more than half should the government allow vehicles to run along the Elevated Edsa at a maximum speed of 100 kilometers per hour, similar to the Skyway System.