EDSA rehab to start Dec. 24, finished in 8 months, Sec. Dizon says

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said Wednesday the rehabilitation of EDSA will begin on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, and be completed in eight months, slashing the original two-year timeline proposed in May.

Dizon announced the revised plan in a press conference with the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), saying the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will maximize the two-week holiday break to begin major road work.

The revised eight-month timeline consists of two phases. The first four months will cover Roxas Boulevard to EDSA-Orense, while the remaining four months will focus on the rest of EDSA.

Along with a shorter timeline, Dizon said the new EDSA rehab will cost ₱6 billion, less than half of the ₱17 billion budget proposed under the old plan.

While the original plan sought to reblock the entire highway with traditional asphalt, the new plan aims to reblock select sections of EDSA using stone mastic asphalt, a newer and more durable asphalt technology.

Dizon said 24-hour construction work for Phase 1 will begin at 11 p.m. on Dec. 24 and continue until 5 a.m. on Jan. 5, 2026. During this period, the DPWH will perform reblocking and asphalt overlay for both EDSA busway lanes.

After the holiday break, road work will shift to a nighttime schedule of 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. to reduce traffic congestion, lasting until the end of Phase 1 on May 31, 2026.

The DPWH and MMDA said traffic management schemes and advisories will be released ahead of time to guide motorists through the rehabilitation period.

The EDSA rehabilitation project aims to address long-standing issues with Metro Manila’s busiest thoroughfare, infamous for its traffic congestion.

EDSA underwent its last major rehabilitation in the 1980s, more than 40 years ago.

When the “EDSA Rebuild” project was first announced in May, then-DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said the highway had outlived its design capacity.

The original plan, which would have caused lane-by-lane disruptions over two years, was set to begin on June 13, but was postponed by President Marcos Jr. to allow further research on minimizing the project’s impact on commuters.