The construction of the EDSA Greenways kicked off as the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and its partners in the public and private sectors signed on Monday two agreements to improve walkways along the country’s busiest thoroughfare.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the DOTr, with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Philippine National Police (PNP), SMART-PLDT, Eastern Telecommunications, and Converge will speed up the project, which is funded by the Asian Development Bank.

"We want to fast-track this project to be able connect pedestrian networks to train stations along EDSA and enhance the overall urban environment and transport connectivity in the identified areas," Bautista said during the ceremonial signing of EDSA Greenways Project's Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).

The transport chief said the agreements manifest the stakeholders' mutual and earnest support to the country’s transportation industry.

"The EDSA Greenways with the EDSA Busway and the bike lanes, showcase our efforts to revive the original character of EDSA as the most efficient artery on Metro Manila," said Bautista.

An environmental-friendly, five-kilometer elevated walkway, the EDSA Greenways is a covered green walkway that will connect MRT-3 stations to other modes of transport.

The EDSA Greenways is the first ever pedestrian-centered road infrasture that includes improving pedestrian facilities and enhancing accessibility.

Under the DOTr-DOLE MOU is the livelihood assistance package for residents and communities that will be affected by the project, while the DOTr-PNP agreement aims to explore cooperative ways for the training, capacity-building, and protection of vulnerable sectors such as women and children.

On the other hand, to implement the relocation of utilities and cables, the DOTr, SMART, ETPI, and CONVERGE signed the MOA under the project's alignment requiring acquisition of Right-of-Way from affected properties. DOTr