Construction of EDSA Busway Concourse starts
A MAJOR transformational initiative of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), under the leadership of Sec. Art Tugade, is now underway as Metro Manila’s busiest thoroughfare will get a major facelift following the start of construction works of the much-awaited EDSA Busway Concourse Tuesday.
A jubilant Tugade expressed his gratitude to stakeholders, including other government agencies and private sector partners, particularly the SM Group, who joined forces in making the project to provide safe and hassle-free travel to commuters a reality
“Taos-puso ang aking pasasalamat dahil sa wakas, makakamit at matitikman na ng publiko ang tunay na pagbabago sa EDSA gamit ang EDSA Busway Concourse. Mas magiging ligtas na ang pag akyat-baba ng mga pasahero sa mga sakayan. Mas kombinyente na rin ang pagsakay dahil magkakaroon pa ng ticket booths, concierge at turnstiles para sa automatic fare collection system. Meron tayong sistema na friendly sa ating mga senior citizens at sa mga persons with challenges and disabilities,” Tugade said in his message during the virtual ceremony of the EDSA Busway Concourse.
The world-class and state-of-the-art EDSA Busway Concourse will provide convenient and safe transport access for commuters, especially those in vulnerable sectors, such as senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and pregnant women.
The concourses will have a provision for ticketing booths, Automatic Fare Collection System (AFCS) turnstiles, and concierges, which will allow transactions to take place at the concourses before the onboarding of passengers.
To recall, the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the construction of the EDSA Busway concourse was held in November 2020. The SM Group will start the construction of three concourses to be built at SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City, and SM North EDSA in Quezon City.
“The groundbreaking ceremony marks another milestone in the EDSA Busway project. And SM Prime is honored to be part of the government’s effort in further improving the commuting experience of every Filipino,” SM Prime Holdings Inc. President Jeffrey Lim said.
“SM has invested over P120 million for this project. We really aspire to provide a convenient, fast, and safe commuting experience for all Filipinos. The project is slated to start next month June 2021 and the target completion is within 10 months, so by the first quarter of 2022, we hope that everybody can already enjoy this convenient and pleasurable experience of commuting along EDSA,” SM Supermalls President Steven Tan meanwhile said.
