SONA: PBBM delays EDSA Guadalupe closure until detour bridges built

For quite some time now, the Department of Public Works & Highways (DPWH) has planned to renovate the aging Guadalupe Bridge. Not only does it serve as an important link for EDSA motorists, but it also connects the MRT-3 system between Mandaluyong, Makati, and beyond.

Since it opened in 1966, the nearly 60-year old infrastructure has seen better days and is need dire need of repairs and rehabilitation. Combined with the fact that it serves over 141,000 vehicles daily, the infrastructure is way overdue for a complete rehab.

At the 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. said that the rehab works on the EDSA Guadalupe Bridge this coming October 2025 have been postponed. That means the bridge will remain open to the public, but why did the President delay the repair works on the said bridge?

With traffic congestion expected to happen since there's no clear plan yet with regards to rerouting traffic, Marcos said that the DPWH will have to first build detour bridges to allow motorists to cross EDSA seamlessly. Once that's done, the DPWH can then work on Guadalupe Bridge itself without affecting traffic flow along the area.

Based on the State of the Nation Address, the detour bridges will be on either side of EDSA Guadalupe to give motorists an alternate route. It is unclear what the detour bridges would look like; if we were to venture a guess, it would likely be some kind of steel structure. 

With the EDSA Guadalupe Bridge closure suspended for now, motorists will be able to cross between Mandaluyong and Makati seamlessly. And with the holidays just around the corner, we're hoping DPWH can retrofit temporary fixes before rehabilitation works can start.