EDSA rehab to start after 2026 ASEAN Summit

Rehabilitating Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) has been officially pushed back to give way to the ASEAN Summit to be hosted next year by the Philippines, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

“It is not feasible anymore to begin the project this year (due to the rains). We can do this maybe next year” or even 2027, said DPWH Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan.

The EDSA rehabilitation was originally set to begin on June 13 for completion by 2027. However, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. ordered the suspension of the project, citing the need for further study and to reduce its impact on commuters, motorists, and broader economic activity. The President also instructed to look into the possibility of shortening the project’s duration.

Sec. Bonoan said another consideration arguing against a 2025 start date is the scheduled hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit next year.

Nigel Paul C. Villarete, senior adviser on public-private partnerships at the technical advisory group Libra Konsult, Inc., said it is not advisable to further delay projects as massive as the EDSA rebuild.

“Economic costs increase over time, much more if it involves a delay of economic benefits which are crucial in transport infrastructure,” said Villarete.

Rene S. Santiago, former president of the Transportation Science Society of the Philippines said traffic would be worse in 2027. “It merely postpones the pain,” he added.

A 2018 Japan International Cooperation Agency study estimated the economic cost of road congestion in Metro Manila at around P3.5 billion per day.

“It will always be more difficult to do infrastructure when you postpone, especially in transport since demand and volume always increases over time,” added Villarete.

DPWH earlier estimated rehabilitating EDSA for 6 months for an initial estimate cost of P15 billion.

The Department of Transportation has said that it is working with other agencies to assess options for expediting the rehabilitation, including innovative construction methods that promise shorter completion times over conventional methods.