P3.74B Edsa rehab project further delayed as DPWH puts off bidding

MANILA, Philippines–Expect further delays in the implementation of the P3.74-billion major rehabilitation of the 23-kilometer-long Edsa—the country’s busiest thoroughfare—after the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) put on hold the bidding and procurement process for the project.

Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson told the Inquirer on Monday that some project details were still being discussed with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) which must approve all government road projects in the metropolis.

In a text message, Singson said the bidding, which was supposed to be underway, had yet to be scheduled by the DPWH.

Earlier, he told the Inquirer that the project would finally start in the first quarter of the year.

The major rehabilitation of the busy thoroughfare was first announced in 2013 with the stretch from Guadalupe to Gil Puyat Avenue in Makati City as the pilot area.

Under the original plan, the Edsa renovation project was expected to be completed in February 2015.

The DPWH said it would apply new technologies in pavement improvement, including the use of “special high-grade asphalt” from Singapore which is considered more rigid, durable, highly resistant to cracks and other road deformations, thus making it more suitable for roads with high-traffic volume like Edsa.

DPWH-NCR Director Reynaldo Tagudando said the planned asphalt overlay was the “next best thing to the concrete reblocking” and other piecemeal repairs being conducted on the major thoroughfare.

Unlike concrete which has a curing period of at least three days, the application of high-grade asphalt needs just 48 hours, he added.

As early as January 2013, Singson projected that transforming Edsa into a road as smooth as the North and South Luzon Expressways was a concrete reality that could be achieved within two years.

The MMDA, however, pushed for a delay in the project’s implementation, saying it would coincide with other major road repair works in the National Capital Region and result in monstrous traffic jams.