Carmageddon

EYES WIDE OPEN

- IRIS GONZALES

It will be monstrous for sure—as monstrous as rush hour on a rainy, payday Friday. Imagine drenched commuters huddled under flimsy umbrellas amid the downpour while helpless motorists sit stuck in their cars, waiting for a miracle.

Indeed, we must brace for even heavier traffic on EDSA next month with the rehabilitation of Metro Manila's main thoroughfare.

Preparatory works will begin on June 13, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways. To be rebuilt and rehabilitated will be the 23-kilometer southbound and northbound lanes of EDSA, said Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan.

Bonoan said the plan is to change the pavement, which will entail digging up the existing pavement on EDSA to replace it with new material that is more durable.

With the rainy season just around the corner, when traffic and commuting are so bad even without road works, I'm not sure this is the best time to rehabilitate EDSA but there is no doubt it has to happen.

Adding to our looming traffic woes is the planned closure of the Guadalupe Bridge, starting October 2025, for structural and seismic retrofitting.

The 1960s-era bridge has been deemed at risk due to structural cracks and is thus undergoing rehabilitation as part of the P7.8-billion Metro Manila Priority Bridges Seismic Improvement Project funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).