San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is working
closely with the local government of Quezon City to
integrate walking and cycling with public transport
starting with the construction of its MRT-7’s elevated turnback guideway that
broke ground recently.
This facility that
SMC, through its infrastructure arm, will build
along West Avenue in
Quezon City near MRT7’s North EDSA Station
will ensure that train services across the project’s
alignment are efficient and
on-schedule.
At the same
time, a one-kilometer portion of West Avenue, between Examiner Street
and EDSA—where the
elevated turnback guideway will be built—will be
redesigned to create wider
pedestrian walkways and
bicycle lanes, at no cost to
the local government.
This modal inte
gration will help improve
access to MRT-7 and
support the local government’s broader effort to
sustainable mobility and
improved quality of life in
the city.
“The construction
of MRT-7’s turnback guideway at West Avenue presented an opportunity for
us to help advance Mayor
Joy Belmonte’s push for
more and better active
transport infrastructure in
the city. Once completed,
the new configuration of
the road will feature wider
pedestrian walkways, and
bike lanes that will benefit
more people,” SMC President and CEO Ramon S.
Ang said.
“We are grateful
to the Quezon City government led by Mayor
Joy Belmonte for the opportunity to contribute to
the development of the
city, especially in terms of
transport infrastructure,”
Ang continued.
In a letter to
Transport Secretary Jaime
J. Bautista, Mayor Belmonte gave the city government’s approval of the
construction of the guideway, as well as the redevelopment of the area, as
part of its various pursuits
in improving roadways in
the city.
“The Quezon
City Government conveys
its interest to undertake
the implementation of the
project using private funds
from the MRT-7’s private
partners. We note that it is
in the best interest of the
city given our numerous
roadway improvement efforts,” Belmonte said.
Pre-construc –
tion work on the turnback
guideway kicked off last
week, as officials of the
Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the city
government led groundbreaking ceremonies with
representatives of SMC
Infrastructure, the infrastructure arm of SMC,
Agafer Construction and
Trading, and the Metropolitan Manila Development
Authority.
Once completed,
the existing 2-meter-wide
sidewalk will be widened
up to 3.10 meters, a portion of which will be designated as a bike lane.
The existing perpendicular
parking along the road will
be converted into parallel
parking as well.
In addition to the
construction of the walkway and bike lane, the
project will also cover the
relocation of utilities such
as electrical lampposts,
communication lines,
drainage, water, and sanitary ducts, and other services.
Ang explained
that the turnback guideway will allow MRT-7 trains
to change directions as it
terminates at the North Triangle Common Station at
North Avenue. PR
