Gov’t to start full Edsa rehab this year, says DPWH

MANILA, Philippines — The government will begin the full rehabilitation of Edsa this year, Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan said on Wednesday.

In a public briefing, he mentioned that one of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directives to the Department of Public Works and Highways was to undertake major infrastructure projects in 2025, including the rehabilitation of the country’s busiest thoroughfare.

READ: Manila currently holds the ‘world’s worst traffic in metro area’ title

“What the President wants is that we need to improve the riding quality of Edsa. We will rehabilitate the entire Edsa starting in 2025.,” Bonoan said in a mix of Filipino and English at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing.

“Even now, if you pass through Edsa, sometimes it’s hard to even text because of the bumpy ride. So I think it’s about time that we need to rehabilitate Edsa once and for all,” he continued.

Metro Manila was infamously given the “World’s Worst Traffic in a Metro Area” top spot among 387 metro areas globally, according to the 2023 TomTom Traffic Index, a Netherlands-based multinational developer of location technology and consumer electronics.

READ: MMDA questions tag on PH capital as worst in traffic

However, this ranking was questioned by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), which asked about the methodologies used in the study.

According to the study, Filipino motorists spent an average of 25 minutes and 30 seconds per 10 kilometers in Metro Manila in 2023. This was a 50-second increase from its record in 2022.

The study also revealed that drivers and commuters spent a total of 240 hours — or the equivalent of 10 days — on the road in 2023 due to traffic.

READ: UP study: Edsa traffic aides at risk of hearing loss

Meanwhile, a study from the University of the Philippines Manila revealed that MMDA traffic enforcers deployed along Edsa have suffered hearing loss due to frequent exposure to harmful noise and a lack of proper protective equipment.

Of the 108 personnel who participated in the study, 13 percent (or 14 enforcers) “experienced significant noise exposure at work,” and 16 percent (or 17 enforcers) had “moderate hearing loss or worse in at least one ear.”