MRT-7 elevated turnback guideway to promote sustainable transport

MANILA, Philippines — San Miguel Corp. (SMC) is working closely with the Quezon City government to integrate walking and cycling with public transport, starting with the construction of its Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7)’s elevated turnback guideway, which broke ground recently.

The facility that SMC, through its infrastructure arm, will build along West Avenue in Quezon City near the MRT-7’s North EDSA station will ensure that train services across the project’s alignment are efficient and on schedule.

At the same time, a one-kilometer portion of West Avenue, between Examiner street and EDSA – where the elevated turnback guideway will be built – will be redesigned to create wider pedestrian walkways and bicycle lanes, at no cost to the city government.

This modal integration will help improve access to MRT-7 and support the local government’s efforts toward sustainable mobility and improved quality of life in the city.

“The construction of MRT-7’s turnback guideway at West Avenue presented an opportunity for us to help advance Mayor Joy Belmonte’s push for more and better active transport infrastructure in the city. Once completed, the new configuration of the road will feature wider pedestrian walkways and bike lanes that will benefit more people,” SMC president and CEO Ramon Ang said.

In a letter to Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista, Belmonte gave the city government’s approval of the construction of the guideway, as well as the redevelopment of the area, as part of its various pursuits in improving roadways in the city.

“The Quezon City government conveys its interest to undertake the implementation of the project using private funds from the MRT-7’s private partners. We note that it is in the best interest of the city given our numerous roadway improvement efforts,” Belmonte said.

Pre-construction work on the turnback guideway kicked off last week as officials of the Department of Transportation and the city government led groundbreaking mceremonies with representatives of SMC Infrastructure, the infrastructure arm of SMC, Agafer Construction and Trading and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

Once completed, the existing two-meter-wide sidewalk will be widened up to 3.10 meters, a portion of which will be designated as a bike lane.

The existing perpendicular parking along the road will be converted into parallel parking as well.

In addition to the construction of the walkway and bike lane, the project will also cover the relocation of utilities such as electrical lampposts, communication lines, drainage, water and sanitary ducts as well as other services.

Ang said the turnback guideway will allow MRT-7 trains to change directions as it terminates at the North Triangle Common Station at North Avenue.