Highway 54, Avenida 19 de Junio, and Epifanio de los Santos avenue. These are the names of EDSA through the years, arguably the most famous road in the Philippines. Stretching 23.8 kilometers from the Bonifacio monument on the north end to the SM Mall of Asia on the south end, its is sometimes referred to as the backbone of the Philippine economy. EDSA is of course famous for the 1986 People Power revolution, but today it is unfortunately famous for being one of the most congested roads in the country.
As one traverses the length of this 1940s-era avenue, you cannot help feel that EDSA is a microcosm of driving in the Philippines. You have the constant traffic jams in Cubao, Megamall and Pasay; the vendors that set up stalls in Balintawak and Pasay; and of course there is the surface itself—concrete on most parts, asphalt on others. And then there are the joints, potholes and bumps that should actually make a good place for the TGP staff to test the suspension of cars.
Plans of rehabilitating EDSA have been floated now on and off for decades, but last December 24, 2025, the much needed work started, with phase one stretching from Roxas Boulevard in Pasay to Orense in Makati. The DPWH has proudly announced that the timeline of the rehabilitation is now down to eight months from the originally planned two years. And even better news is that the budget for this has come down to only P6 billion from the original P17 billion.
As I drove up and down EDSA from Guadalupe to MOA during the Christmas and New Year break, I was quite pleased to see the shiny white pavers, graders and dump trucks working 24/7. The result of which is that come January 5, 2026, the EDSA bus carousel from Pasay to Orense had been completely resurfaced. As of this writing, one can see other lanes of EDSA already sporting shiny new blacktop. Work is continuous from 10pm to 4am, seven days a week, and at this pace meeting the eight-month deadline mentioned at the start seems very much a reality.
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In a TV interview, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon assured the public that this rehabilitation should last around five years because of the use of more specialized stone mastic asphalt (SMA), as opposed to the standard hot-mix asphalt (HMA). For us asphalt newbies, SMA uses coarser aggregates that have bigger gaps and create more friction that allow water to drain more efficiently. The result is a durable road surface with better traction and higher resistance to hydroplaning.
SMA is preferred for use in high-stress surfaces like heavily trafficked highways and airport runways. Hey, if it is good enough for landing a 250-ton fully loaded Boeing 777-300ER then it must be good enough for the cars and buses that ply EDSA.
So what can the Filipino motorist expect come August once the project is done? We can definitely look forward to a smoother drive from Pasay to Orense. Less road noise, no bumps, and less stress on our cars. And with the completion of phase two—from Orense in Makati to Caloocan up north, it will literally be a smooth ride from north to south and back.
Can we expect that by rehabilitating and adding a shiny new layer or two of asphalt to EDSA will result in less congestion? Probably not. EDSA’s traffic woes go well beyond the bumpy surface. To get any significant improvement in the traffic situation, we need to sort out the bottlenecks caused by the stalls put up by vendors, the unauthorized jeepney terminals, and the vehicles that enter and exit the different establishments along the stretch. It needs a whole new understanding and a higher level of discipline in the way motorists and commuters use EDSA.
So if improvement to traffic is minimal at best, was it necessary to do it? Absolutely! As tax-paying citizens, we have the right to have good roads—especially one as historical as EDSA. This is up there with making sure the Rizal monument is always at its best, ready to be showcased anytime.
Another point to consider is the rehabilitation of EDSA shows us that there is a brighter future ahead for us Filipinos. A project that was planned almost 20 years ago has finally started and will be completed in only eight months, with savings of P11 billion. Is this a sign of things to come? I, for one, would like to think so. Amid all that has happened in the last few months, a smooth world-class stretch of the country’s vital artery is our silver lining—even if it is black.
