EDSA Monuments – Bump and Dip 191.0

Here’s hoping the hump and crater will not survive the Arroyo administration

Those of us who ply EDSA regularly have learned to avoid the lump and the pothole that immediately follows it along EDSA at the foot of the left turn overpass to Rockwell.

To be fair, it was probably created during President Ramos’s time and, just simply, overlooked through the short-lived Erap interregnum.

They have been left untouched – the other EDSA monuments – for twelve years on the busiest highway in Metro Manila.

Evolution of the Fossils. A quick investigation should reveal that both fossils were created during the construction of the overpass ramp.

They are located at the footing of the last two columns supporting the overpass.

To spread the blame, I can definitely conclude that the engineers and quantity checkers during President Ramos’s time who failed to spot the problems and accepted the project for final payment.

Other road engineers and MMDA inspectors under President Estrada’s and the MMDA honchos failed in their duty to correct the problem during their time too!

It is just a stone’s throw away from the Guadalupe office of the MMDA. I actually had the crew of an MMDA tow truck shouting for me to move as I was taking pictures of these enduring artifacts this morning.

My Driving Strategy. Today, a slow Saturday, seems like a good time to share my navigation strategy as I pass these minuscule monstrosities.

I start planning just after I pass the left turn to the overpass to Rockwell pictured at left.

As I usually take the inner lane, I peer through the side mirror to check for traffic on the right neighboring lane.

Then, I sidle slowly as far as I can into the right side of the inner lane without being side swiped by the neighboring traffic.

It is a constant check with the side and rearview mirrors, right foot alert to step on the brake, and a slight slowing down of speed until I get through the rut.

Then, a quick return to the middle of the inner lane and a deep sigh that once again I have navigated through without an accident and damage to the car.

Despite foreknowledge, there were still instances of senior moments when these lump and pothole reminded me of their presence with a jarring bumps.

My Speculation. I have a theory as to why this long-term problem has not been fixed.

Fixing the pothole problem is easy. All it will take is a few dollops of concrete.

I suspect the lump is the bigger problem. The concrete on the lump must be especially hard. It must require a jackhammer to break up.

It is the reason why the project to fix both – they have to be made at the same time – has not been done.

I think the real problem here is that the moderated 20%, applying Jun Lozada and Romy Neri math, on a, say, P50,000 project does not amount to much.

Rationally, if I were in charge, I would rather do the larger infrastructure projects especially on election year to hit two birds with one stone.

Undying Gratitude and Fond Memory. Together with the LRT-MRT connection and the C-5 and NLEX link, finally expunging these relics before she leaves office on June 30 will earn for GMA the goodwill and undying gratitude of EDSA commuters.

I, myself, would be extremely delighted to drive through EDSA with one less stress-inducing experience – from swerving out of haphazardly designed U-turn slots and the manual intervention of traffic enforcers to traffic lights.

What would Apolinario Mabini have said?