EDSA Busway starts interim operations

MANILA, Philippines  — The EDSA Busway project started its interim operations yesterday to augment the operations of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

In a statement, the MMDA said the interim operation would span the stretch of EDSA from Monumento to the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX).

From Monumento to Quezon Avenue, buses are allowed to pick up and drop off passengers at the curbsides of Bagong Barrio, Light Rail Transit Line 1 Balintawak station, Kaingin Road, LRT-1 Muñoz station, MRT-3 North Avenue station (southbound for loading only, northbound for unloading only), and MRT-3 Quezon Avenue station (southbound for loading only, and northbound for unloading only).

Past Quezon Avenue, buses will have to go back to the median lane all the way to Estrella street in Makati.

From then on, buses can pick up and drop off passengers at the curbsides of Buendia, Ayala (southbound for unloading only, northbound for loading and unloading), Magallanes, Evangelista/Malibay, Taft Avenue (southbound for unloading only, northbound for loading only), Roxas Boulevard, Macapagal Avenue, SM Mall of Asia and PITX.

Of the 550 authorized bus units on the EDSA Busway, an initial 150 units were deployed yesterday, the MMDA said.

Buses are allowed to drop off and load passengers on the curbside pending the completion of the bus stops and its fences and canopies, and the installation of the concrete barriers to mark the busway on the innermost lane.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has also put up the following miniloop routes along EDSA – Monumento-MRT Quezon Avenue station, PITX–Ayala, and Timog-Santolan – to service the passengers displaced by the interim EDSA Busway operations.

MMDA chairman Danny Lim in a press briefing Tuesday said that the construction of the 16 bus stops may be completed by the end of July. Richmond Mercurio