Malaysian-type tunnel to help ease EDSA traffic, says solon

To ease vehicle traffic and help surrounding communities deal with potential flash flooding, infrastructure planners should consider building a Malaysian-type Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (SMART) along EDSA, a solon said Thursday. In a statement, House Deputy Majority Leader Roman Romulo urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to study if it is feasible to build under EDSA a dual-purpose tunnel patterned after the storm drainage and road structure of Kuala Lumpur’s SMART. “The only option left is to construct a new motorway beneath EDSA, since it can no longer be widened, and we already have the Metro Rail Transit line over the main road," Romulo said. The solon said this in reaction to DPWH’s plan to build an elevated highway over EDSA, or a tunnel below it, to ease traffic. The DPWH bared this plan at a congressional budget hearing, reported GMA News TV’s “Balitanghali" newscast Tuesday.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV Malaysia built its 9.7-kilometer SMART, a major national project, at $515 million or around P22 billion at the current exchange rate, Romulo said. “Assembled over four years, their SMART is basically a motorway and stormwater tunnel in one that could be duplicated here," he explained. — PE/VS, GMA News