Megawide gets DOTr support for northern PITX facility

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has rallied behind Megawide Construction Corp. in its plan to construct an integrated terminal exchange (ITX) in the northern part of Metro Manila as a way to reduce traffic congestion.

In an interview with reporters, Transportation Undersecretary Mark Steven Pastor said the DOTr has no details yet on Megawide’s proposal to create a bus loop in EDSA by putting up a northern counterpart to the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX).

However, Pastor said the DOTr supports the idea of building an ITX in Monumento to serve as a staging area for provincial buses coming from Northern Luzon.

“It [an ITX in the north] is an absolute necessity for the government so we can sort of follow the mechanism here in the south. We will allow provincial buses to use the terminal,” Pastor said.

“Just like in any country, there should always be a terminal hub. This way, we can address traffic congestion, we can address [transport] connectivity,” he added.

At the outset, Pastor said the DOTr can realign the routes of provincial buses heading in and out of Metro Manila to limit the number of vehicles plying EDSA.

For instance, provincial buses in Cubao can be transferred to the ITX without causing commuters any hassle with the availability of transport options to and from Monumento.

On the other hand, Pastor said that even though DOTr backs the proposal to put up an ITX in the north of Metro Manila, it will still undergo the standard process of evaluation prior to approval.

Megawide will compete in the bidding for the operations and maintenance of the EDSA Busway, boasting of its capability to do both route management and station development. Apart from this, the firm plans to submit an unsolicited proposal to put up an ITX in Monumento.

The infrastructure builder behind the PITX and Mactan-Cebu International Airport aims to set up a bus loop along EDSA running from PITX to Monumento similar to the existing route of EDSA carousel buses. This way, commuters can rely on both the availability and punctuality of buses.

Megawide also seeks to expand the PITX by at least 1.8 hectares to allocate another staging area for buses at a cost of P5 billion.

At present, the North Luzon Express Terminal acts as the northern counterpart of the PITX with its capacity to hold up to 96,000 passengers daily.