Makati to Cubao travel time to shorten for 2021 says DPWH Sec. Mark Villar

Back in 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte said that he would cut down the travel time between Makati to Cubao. Normally it would take about an hour or so to traverse between the two areas, however, the President vowed that he would bring the travel time down to just 5 minutes instead. While it isn’t possible given the actual travel speed in the area, the government still hasn’t stopped trying to make it a reality. 

The Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar, stated that the government’s decongestion plan for EDSA is still going and is on track. This is to go inline with the President’s promise to lower the travel time between Makati and Cubao to five minutes.

Villar states that the vehicle capacity of EDSA is at approximately 288,000 cars, however, the actual number is closer to 400,000 vehicles per day. This was the estimate of the DPWH based on the current usage and through their projections. Villar continues by stating that once other infrastructure projects have been completed, it is hoped that the road usage of EDSA will decrease by an estimated 120,000 vehicles. If that estimate holds true, EDSA should return to its capacity of 288,000 vehicles. 

According to Villar, the possibility of traveling between Makati and Cubao in 5 minutes can be a reality for the year 2021. However, it is important to note that EDSA is currently under experimentation as many u-turns have been closed in the hopes of improving the flow of traffic. The EDSA Busway is also another important factor that must be considered as well and can aid in lowering traffic congestion as an alternative mode of transportation to the MRT.