ADB to finance $100-M walkways in Metro Manila

MANILA, Philippines — All over Metro Manila, there’s little or no room for expanding or constructing sidewalks.

So the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is working with the Philippine government to finance the construction of elevated walkways for pedestrians, with the possibility of using them for bicycles as well.

The bank is prepared to provide $100 million in loans for the so-called Greenways project, according to Ramesh Subramaniam, the ADB’s director general for Southeast Asia.

An initial six sites have been selected for the launch of the project, which the ADB is discussing with the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Subramaniam told journalists at a briefing in this Fijian city, where the bank is holding its 52nd annual Board of Governors meeting. 

Among the initial sites selected are North EDSA, Ortigas and Taft Avenue, Subramaniam said.

Independent consulting firms are designing the elevated walkways.

Subramaniam said the Philippine government wants the initial phase of the project finished within the year, but completion is more likely by 2020.

“We are very optimistic about it,” he said. “We are going to start small.”

The streets of Metro Manila are typically not pedestrian-friendly, except in newer developments and business centers. In the older sections, sidewalks are crowded with vendors.

Because of the lack of sidewalks, commuters spill out into the streets to wait for rides, with some boarding buses in the middle of busy thoroughfares.

This has resulted in accidents that have caused injuries and deaths. In December last year, a man was pinned to death between two buses as he was trying to board one on EDSA in Guadalupe, Makati.

There was a similar fatal accident in February 2012, also on EDSA. 

The Greenways project had been planned as early as 2014, with the Ortigas Central Business District targeted as the pilot area. It was meant to promote sustainable development goals on improving public health by encouraging walking and non-motorized transport as well as reducing air and noise emissions.

Greenways have been described as “activity corridors” for non-motorized transport that “create quality space for commercial exchange, health and recreation, and access to jobs and services.”

There are Greenway projects in places such as Seoul, South Korea; Hong Kong; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Guangzhou, China.

NEDA had approved the demonstration Greenway project for implementation in 2015, connecting SM Megamall, Robinsons Galleria, Shangri-La EDSA Plaza and the Metro Rail Transit station in the area.

The ADB would provide the engineering design while the government would shoulder the funding for the civil works.

This time, the ADB is providing the financing.