

MANILA - San Miguel Corp. is proposing to build an "elevated EDSA" toll road that may include a bus rapid transit system to solve traffic congestion in Metro Manila, the company's head confirmed on Wednesday.

SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said the elevated road would be built on top of EDSA and would stretch from Macapagal Avenue in Pasay City to either Samson Road or Balintawak in Quezon City.

Ang said he has already talked to Transportation Sec. Arthur Tugade about this proposal.

The toll road would have 10 lanes, with 5 lanes each on both northbound and southbound directions. The elevated EDSA may also include dedicated lanes for a bus rapid transit system.

"Two lanes lagyan mo ng (you put) bus rapid transit, each bus rapid transit [can carry] 300 passengers-- it can carry 1.5 million passengers a day; solved ang traffic di ba (traffic is solved right)?" Ang said.

The SMC chief said they plan to release more details about the project and submit the proposal to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) next week.

"Yung details noon (The details), we will be submitting to DOTr siguro Monday or Tuesday," Ang said.

San Miguel formally signed an agreement with the DOTr on Wednesday to build a new 'Manila International Airport' in Bulacan.

EDSA, which cuts through several cities, is one of Metro Manila's most traffic-choked thoroughfares. Several measures have been proposed to address traffic on the roadway, including banning private cars during rush hour and barring buses from the avenue.

- With a report from Jacque Manabat, ABS-CBN News