Improving traffic efficiency

The column of Mr. Cito Beltran on September 14 summarily and unfairly concluded that the proposal of DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson to construct tunnels under EDSA and elevated expressways on top of EDSA as a P50-billion monument . . . akin to building a new house over a termite infested house. There is really nothing wrong with EDSA as a highway because it serves as a purpose of facilitating traffic in north/south directions. The traffic problems occur when more vehicles use EDSA than what its traffic conveyance capacity allows.

In our advocacy letters on how to improve the traffic efficiency of EDSA we proposed short term palliatives (attached) such as:

1. EDSA shuttle: This proposal calls for construction of parking buildings at both ends of EDSA, control of the buses servicing EDSA by TV monitoring of the bus roof painted tag numbers, pre-designated bus stops and central control of all the buses by a single government agency . . . bits and pieces of the EDSA shuttle solution are now being implemented by MMDA such as the proposals to build terminals, the roof tagging scheme. In time as more of the political will is exercised, the short term palliatives should be in place. To further enhance the capacity of government to finance the massive infra works required, we proposed the creation of EDSA Corporation, a government-owned corporation which will manage the assets and the problems of EDSA . . . the Right of Way (ROW) of EDSA will be transferred to EDSA Corp. as the principal asset which could now be leveraged to attract investors under the PPP program.

2. We also proposed long term solutions. Building tunnels and elevated expressways are economical long-term solutions because this type of infrastructure maximizes an important valuable asset of EDSA, the right of way . . . building an elevated expressway on top of EDSA or tunneling under EDSA results in ZERO ROW costs. EDSA cannot be expanded horizontally because of the costs acquiring the ROW from the properties of private landowners. So vertical construction is an obvious logical option in expanding the traffic conveyance capacity of EDSA.

Massive infra works such as the elevated expressways will be built based on feasibility studies which will determine if the traffic problem gets solved and the investors can secure a fair return on their investments if the project is privately financed. The government can finance the project thru the taxes or loans borrowed or it can use the PPP vehicle to undertake the works.

P50 billion is a relative number in finding solutions to the infrastructure problems of the country. What is important is that is solution is implemented. It does not really matter to suffering taxpayers who implements the solution whether it is the private or public sector, as long as the problem gets solved.

Building infrastructures starts from planting the seeds, the vision, the concept, the dream of the citizens and the leaders of a country seeking for a more progressive life. Our contractors and engineers have built expressways and tunnels and building the infrastructure is not a technical problem. Unless political will is exercised in implementing the infrastructure projects, the vision of having a modern infrastructure system to serve the people and attract investors will forever be a dream.

Build it and they will come.