The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and SM Prime Holdings Inc. broke ground on Tuesday for the construction of state-of-the-art EDSA Busway Concourse.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the EDSA Busway Concourse, first to be constructed at SM North EDSA in Quezon City, reflects the successful partnership between the public and private sectors.
“This concourse leading to the busway should be counted as a CSR [corporate social responsibility] initiative that addresses one of DOTr’s goals—accessibility,” Bautista said.
“We will be establishing a convenient access to the EDSA Busway—right in the middle of overlapping transport infrastructure projects,” he said.
Bautista said the DOTr also teamed up with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Local Government of Quezon City to establish the project with one footbridge each at SM North EDSA and SM Megamall and a ground station at SM MOA.
He said the DOTr was simultaneously fast-tracking the completion of MRT-7, the Metro Manila Subway Project, Common Station and the link between MRT-3 and LRT-1.
The modern and sustainable walkways will facilitate the movement between users and connect them to commercial, business, leisure and employment services in Metro Manila. A major component of the EDSA Busway, the walkways are intended for the commuters using the EDSA Busway stations and for pedestrians crossing EDSA from one side to the other.