The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is shifting towards “moving people and not cars” with its $140 million EDSA Greenways Project, a five-kilometer elevated walkway along EDSA.
Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan said the EDSA Greenways Project will prioritize moving people and improving active transport experience, while promoting the use of public transportation, according to
Batan said the pedestrian infrastructure is expected to enhance active transport by connecting the project to mass transit stations.
According to Batan, the EDSA Greenways Project is the agency’s largest pedestrian infrastructure project.
“This is the Department of Transportation and perhaps the government of the Philippines’ largest investment in pedestrian infrastructure projects,” he said.
Being the DOTr’s pilot investment in high-quality pedestrian infrastructure, Batan said that the execution of the project must be done right from development, design, and procurement with the help from the Asian Development Bank.
“One of the ways for us to make sure that we’re getting this right is by using our infrastructure and innovation from ADB,” he said.
Batan expressed the agency’s gratitude to the multilateral lender for assisting and supporting the DOTr “all the way from the project development up to the project financing.
The EDSA Greenways Project is a 5-kilometer mass transit walkway along EDSA at MRT-3 Balintawak, Cubao, Guadalupe, and Taft stations.
The project will also focus on achieving travel time savings of at least 45 seconds for each pedestrian; increasing the number of pedestrians; removal of conflicts of pedestrians and traffic at grade level; and reduction of pedestrian accidents and injuries.
Once completed, the pedestrian infrastructure will be equipped with elevators, monitoring systems, prioritizing accessibility to the elderly, pregnant women, young children, and persons with disabilities (PWD).