Forget improving mass transport, elevated tollways, ‘car-brand coding’ schemes, and even private vehicle bans to solve traffic on EDSA. A Congressman has raised his suggestion of replicating Kuala Lumpur’s Stormwater Management And Road Tunnel—or Smart Tunnel—along the notorious thoroughfare.
According to a report by Inquirer, Pasig City representative Roman Romulo proposed the idea in a recent statement. A Malaysian-type Smart Tunnel underneath Edsa is another option that might help solve the horrendous vehicular congestion on Edsa,” the Solon said.
Romulo also mentioned that the government is now only left with two solutions, since adding lanes to widen EDSA is no longer possible. “The only options left are to put up an elevated road above and alongside the Metro Rail Transit 3, as proposed by SMC (San Miguel Corporation), and/or build a new motorway below EDSA,” he said.
For context, Romulo cited that Malaysia’s four-lane, double-decked Smart tunnel with a $515 million (around P26.7 billion) budget. He also said that the proposed tunnel will act as a motorway and flood control system rolled into one multimillion-dollar project. The tunnel will serve as a regular route for light motor vehicles under normal conditions without rainfall, while it will be closed off during heavy rains to serve as a diversion for floodwater.
Do you think a project as drastic as this would be the solution?
