MMDA to review proposal to close EDSA intersection

MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority will have to thoroughly study a reported proposal of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to close part of the EDSA-North Avenue intersection for a month, an MMDA official said yesterday.

The closure would reportedly allow for the faster construction of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Unified Grand Central Station.

MMDA Chairman Benhur Abalos said he has yet to learn about the reported proposal from the DOTr to close a portion of EDSA-North Avenue intersection for 30 days.

“We’ll study the matter,” he told The STAR, noting that he has some reservations about closing a major part of EDSA.

Abalos said he needs specific details and exact locations, and hopes to get them in a meeting on Monday.

The MRT Unified Grand Central Station, once completed, will connect the MRT Line 3 and the Light Rail Transit Line 1, which officials say would improve public train transport in the region.

Metro Manila mayors, through the Metro Manila Council, recently approved the return of the Unified Vehicle Volume Reduction Program or the number coding scheme from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., except on holidays, as vehicular volume in the metropolis returned to pre-pandemic levels.