Duterte has budgeted US$7.5bil to solve world’s worst traffic

A typical early morning outlook seen in central city where it is heavy traffic during rush hour along the EDSA highway in Manila.Road congestion has become an economic constraint for the Philippines, causing annual losses of US$18bil based on Asian Development Bank's estimation. - Bloomberg

MANILA: The Philippines plans to build roads and bridges worth 380 billion pesos (US$7.5bil) to decongest the capital’s main highway, seeking to solve the world’s worst traffic.

More than 400,000 vehicles pass daily through Manila’s main road called EDSA, and President Rodrigo Duterte targets to reduce this by a third before his six-year term ends in 2022 by building alternative routes, Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said on Saturday (jan 18)