Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, commonly referred to by its acronym EDSA (), is a major circumferential road around Metro Manila, Philippines. It passes through 6 of Metro Manila's 17 local government units or cities, namely, from north to south, Caloocan, Quezon City, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Makati, and Pasay.
Structure
The entire avenue forms part of Circumferential Road 4 (C-4) of Metro Manila's arterial road network, National Route 1 (N1) of the Philippine highway network and Asian Highway 26 (AH26) of the Asian Highway Network. and an average of 385,096 vehicles go through it every day.
The avenue is a divided carriageway, often consisting of 12 lanes, 6 in either direction, with the elevated railroads Manila Metro Rail Transit System Line 3 and Manila Light Rail Transit System Line 1 often serving as its median. Although it is not an expressway, traffic rules and speed limits are strictly implemented to the vehicles that pass along it. It is operated by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and is maintained by the Department of Public Works and Highways from Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan to Roxas Boulevard in Pasay and Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) from Roxas Boulevard to SM Mall of Asia.
Traffic management
thumb|left|Heavy traffic on [[Guadalupe Bridge]]
The lead agency that manages the flow of traffic along EDSA is the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), a government agency under the Office of the President of the Philippines and is advised by the Metro Manila Mayors League. One of the MMDA's traffic management schemes that is in effect on EDSA, among other major thoroughfares in the metropolis, is the Uniform Vehicular Volume Reduction Program.
Many have observed that the cause of many traffic jams on EDSA is its change from being a highway to an avenue. This resulted the erection of erring establishment, buses and jeepneys. Subsequently, buses have been the target of other traffic management programs, like the MMDA's Organized Bus Route Program. The MMDA is strictly implementing also the Motorcycle and Bus laning in EDSA, making it the second highway in the Philippines ever to have such traffic rule to be enforced, after Commonwealth Avenue. The average speed of vehicles in EDSA is .
On January 18, 2016, strict implementation on bus lanes started on the Shaw–Guadalupe segment, where plastic barriers are placed and prohibited entry of private vehicles and taxis on the bus lanes except when turning to EDSA's side streets. Despite the plastic barrier, many private vehicles still enter the lanes. This involves the construction of other roads and bridges that will divert traffic from the avenue. The government aims to reduce travel time from Cubao to Makati to 5–6 minutes.
History
thumb|310px|Aerial view showing Calle Samson in [[Caloocan, 1933. The section in front of the Bonifacio Monument now forms part of EDSA.]]
Construction of what was then called the North and South Circumferential Road began in 1939 under President Manuel L. Quezon, amidst Manila's rapid expansion. This necessitated inland growth and a planned new capital city, which became Quezon City. integrating the former stretch of Calle Apelo Cruz from present-day Cabrera Street to Taft Avenue in Pasay and Calle Samson up to Balintawak in Quezon City at the east.
The road, starting from North Bay Boulevard in Navotas and ending at Taft Avenue (formerly known as Taft Avenue Extension / Manila South Road) in Pasay, both then in Rizal, was partially opened in 1940, shortly before the outbreak of World War II and the subsequent Japanese occupation. It was then known as the Manila Circumferential Road or simply as Circumferential Road. During the war, its section in Diliman Estate served as a runway of the Quezon Airfield, along with Malawen Boulevard (now Quezon Avenue). The road was also renamed to Highway 54 and thus designated as Route 54. Due to the route number, there was a common misconception on that time that the avenue is long. and after the independence of the Philippines from the United States in 1946, it became known as Avenida 19 de Junio (June 19 Avenue), after the birth date of national hero José Rizal. The avenue was widened from two to four lanes during this decade. Rapid urbanization in the 1960s and 1970s, particularly after the annexation of several Rizal towns to the newly established National Capital Region, marked the growth of the industrial centers along the road, and several other roads connected to the avenue, such as Ayala Avenue and McKinley Road in Makati.
Construction of EDSA continued into the 1970s, including the construction of the Guadalupe Bridge in the 1960s to connect its segments on the north and south banks of the Pasig River, with the Pasay segment being delayed due to right-of-way issues. Until the mid-1980s, many parts of the highway still overlooked vast grassland and open fields.
The EDSA Revolution
<!-- Commented out: thumb|The People Power Revolution. The picture above shows the Santolan-Bonny Serrano intersection being flocked by thousands of protesters -->
By 1986, political opposition to the 20-year dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos mounted. In late February, high-ranking military officers including Defence Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and General Fidel Ramos, defected from the Marcos government and seized Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo, two military bases located across each other midway along EDSA. This triggered three days of peaceful demonstrations that became the People Power Revolution.
The majority of protesters were gathered at the gates of the two bases, along a stretch of EDSA between the commercial districts of Cubao in Quezon City and Ortigas Center in Mandaluyong. Over two million Filipino civilians, along with political, military, and religious groups led by Archbishop of Manila Cardinal Jaime Sin, succeeded in toppling President Marcos. Corazon Aquino, the widow of assassinated opposition senator Benigno Aquino Jr., was installed as president on the morning of February 25; by midnight, Marcos had escaped Malacañang Palace with his family, and was flying to exile in Hawaii.
Monuments
Several landmarks commemorate historical events that occurred along the avenue. At the intersection of EDSA and Ortigas Avenue is EDSA Shrine, a Catholic church capped by a bronze statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Peace. The shrine is dedicated to this Marian title in memory of the pious folk belief that in the 1986 Revolution, the Virgin Mary personally shielded the protesters – many of whom were peacefully praying and singing – as they faced government troops, tanks, and aircraft.
The People Power Monument (), consisting of a giant statue and esplanade, sits at the corner of EDSA and White Plains Avenue. Sculpted by Eduardo Castrillo and unveiled in 1993, the central sculpture depicts protesters standing upon a circular podium, all surrounding a woman (representing Ináng Bayan or the Motherland), reaching up to the heavens with her outstretched hands and broken shackles. A Philippine flag rises behind her, while a statue of Ninoy Aquino and an eternal flame stand on either side at its base. A huge, limestone-faced wall with grooves for ribbons in the national colors forms a backdrop to the scene. The surrounding pavement contains a row of flagstaffs, and is the center for protests and ceremonies held on the Revolution's anniversary of February 25.
Monuments dedicated to Andrés Bonifacio are situated at two locations along EDSA: the Balintawak Interchange and the avenue's terminus, the Monumento Circle. The monument at Balintawak, erected in 1971, replaced the old Cry of Balintawak Monument, a monument commemorating the Cry of Pugad Lawin and was transferred to the University of the Philippines Diliman campus in 1968. On the other hand, the Bonifacio Monument at Monumento was built in 1929 and unveiled in 1933.
Recent history
thumb|EDSA with [[Ortigas station in the background]]
After the People Power Revolution, the highway was commonly referred to as EDSA, and it was connected until SM Mall of Asia.
In 1997, construction began on the Manila Metro Rail Transit System, which runs the length of EDSA from North Avenue to Taft Avenue. It was opened under the administration of Joseph Estrada, the thirteenth President of the Philippines.
The Second EDSA Revolution, which also took place along the avenue, resulted in the peaceful ouster of President Estrada following his impeachment trial. He was succeeded by his Vice-President, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. She was sworn in on the terrace of EDSA Shrine by then-Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. at noon on January 20, 2001, several hours before Estrada and his family fled Malacañang Palace.
The EDSA III, which also took place along the avenue from April 25 to May 1 of the same year, resulted in violence when the supporters of former President Estrada attempted to storm the presidential palace and the military and police were ordered to use their arms to drive them back. Arroyo declared a state of rebellion because of the violence and prominent political personalities affiliated with Estrada were charged and arrested.
In 1999, the avenue was further extended from Roxas Boulevard to the future SM Mall of Asia on the Bay City Reclamation Project, where it now ends at the Globe Rotunda along J.W. Diokno Boulevard, a roundabout. The avenue was badly damaged in September 2006, when Typhoon Milenyo hit Manila.
In 2010, the LRT Line 1 (LRT-1) of the Manila Light Rail Transit System was extended from Monumento to Roosevelt (now Fernando Poe Jr.), ultimately transversing EDSA to end at the site of the current North Avenue MRT station.
On September 9, 2015, the Philippine National Police (PNP) deployed the Highway Patrol Group to support MMDA traffic constables easing traffic on congested segments of EDSA.
In September 2017, the construction of the North Triangle Common Station was started after numerous delays due to bureaucracy and location disputes. It will connect the LRT Line 1, MRT Line 3, MRT Line 7, and the Metro Manila Subway.
EDSA Busway
thumb|The Monumento stop of the [[EDSA Carousel in Caloocan]]
The EDSA Busway is a bus lane located on the innermost lanes of EDSA, used by the EDSA Carousel, specific P2P bus routes, and authorized government vehicles. It is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system with EDSA Carousel stops mostly on the avenue's median serving as the main bus route of the avenue. The system was put into place after almost all public and private transportation along EDSA was prohibited during the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon imposed during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Interim operations of the BRT system began on July 1, 2020. Intended to be largely served by bus stops along the median, some stops are temporarily served by stations on the curbside.
The busway spans most of EDSA, with exclusive sections spanning the entirety of EDSA from Monumento to the Globe Rotunda. The lane is and is delineated by painted markings and concrete barriers. Some segments of the busway have openings for mixed traffic, particularly at intersections and interchanges along EDSA.
Prior to the establishment of the EDSA Carousel, the Department of Transportation proposed in 2017 to create two BRT lines in Metro Manila, which would be part of a Metro Manila Bus Rapid Transit System. EDSA would have had been designated as "Line 2: Central Corridor" and would have had of segregated busways covering the length of the road. The agency planned to scrap the project by June 2018. However, this appeal was rejected and the Line 1 which will be built on Quezon Avenue, which passes EDSA, was later approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) on November 2, 2018.
In 2019, Senator Win Gatchalian called for the approval of the BRT system as an alternate mode of transportation to the PNR Metro Commuter Line.
Intersections
<!-- thumb|EDSA–[[Aurora Boulevard intersection]]
thumb|Intersection of EDSA, [[Ayala Avenue, and McKinley Road near One Ayala]] -->
Notes
Landmarks
This list is from the Bonifacio Monument in the north to the SM Mall of Asia Globe rotunda in the south.
Future developments
Proposed interchanges
An overpass over the North Avenue–West Avenue Intersection and Mindanao Avenue Junction in the Triangle Park and a flyover over Congressional Avenue–Fernando Poe Jr. Avenue intersection in Muñoz are already approved and was slated to begin construction in 2013. As of 2020, the project is currently on hold.
Proposed renaming
On October 13, 2011, Representative Rene Relampagos (Bohol–1st) filed House Bill (HB) No. 5422, proposing to rename Epifanio de los Santos Avenue as "Corazon Aquino Avenue." According to Relampagos, the idea to rename EDSA after Aquino, who led the 1986 People Power, was conceptualized in the aftermath of her death. However, the measure only went as far as referral to the House Committee on Public Works and Highways on November 14, 2011.
Construction of EDSA-Taft flyover
thumb|Intersection of EDSA and Taft Avenue, also known as Pasay Rotonda, the proposed site for the EDSA–Taft flyover
On April 2, 2013, then-President Benigno Aquino III gave the go-signal for the construction of a flyover at the perennially traffic-choked corner of EDSA and Taft Avenue in Pasay.
The project is estimated to cost , with the flyover extending to about each side and it will take one and a half years to complete the project.
The congestion pricing proposal was revived again in 2025 by the MMDA, believing that improvements and projected capacity increases in the MRT-3 would allow them to more feasibly introduce congestion pricing and high-occupancy vehicle lanes.
Proposed shared bicycle-motorcycle lanes
On August 18, 2023, the MMDA proposed converting the bicycle lanes on EDSA exclusive to bicycles into shared lanes for bicycles and motorcycles, claiming that the EDSA bicycle lanes are "underutilized", and also proposed plans to build an elevated walkway and bikeway on EDSA from Guadalupe to Cubao. A preliminary feasibility study will be conducted within the week, with a stakeholders' meeting with cyclists and motorcycle riders taking place on August 29, 2023.
The proposal was criticized by sustainable transport advocates, who claimed that the proposed scheme would compromise the safety of cyclists and argued instead to carve an exclusive motorcycle lane from the regular lanes.
The MMDA, together with the DILG, revived its proposal for shared bicycle and motorcycle lanes again in 2025, with the latter citing the need for a dedicated motorcycle lane.
Rehabilitation
EDSA is currently undergoing a rehabilitation project initiated by the Department of Public Works and Highways. The project, slated to originally begin on June 16, 2025, involves phased road repairs, drainage upgrades, and the application of durable asphalt, starting with the segment between Pasay and Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong. The project is part of the broader Build Better More infrastructure program under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. It is also planned to be completed ahead of the 2026 ASEAN Summits, which will be hosted by the Philippines. However, on June 1, 2025, the project was temporarily suspended by President Marcos Jr. to search for a "better way." It would later be pushed back to 2026, citing the rainy season during the second half of 2025 as the cause. The project was restarted, which will now only include concrete reblocking of some sections, asphalt overlaying, and rehabilitation of both sidewalks and bike lanes (which is shared with the sidewalk). It finally commenced on December 24, 2025, with phase 1 of the project originally to be completed on May 31, 2026 covering Roxas Boulevard to Orense being "ahead of schedule".
Protests
thumb|The [[Trillion Peso March at the vicinity of EDSA Shrine on September 21, 2025]]
thumb|The [[Iglesia ni Cristo chapel, Bago Bantay|Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) Lokal ng Bago Bantay, completed on December 4, 1964, is currently the only INC chapel located along EDSA.]]
EDSA is frequently used as a protest site. In August 2012, the Catholic Church assembled a mass rally on EDSA to oppose the Reproductive Health Bill. On September 11, 2013, a prayer vigil called EDSA Tayo was held at the EDSA Shrine, where around 500–700 people were gathered to call for the abolition of the Priority Development Assistance Fund. On February 25, 2015, various groups held a demonstration along EDSA to demand that President Benigno Aquino III stand down. On August 27–31 of the same year, adherents staged demonstrations along EDSA near SM Megamall, calling on then-Justice Secretary Leila De Lima to focus on issues such as the Mamasapano clash instead of a case filed by former INC minister Isaias Samson Jr. against Church leaders. On November 30, 2016, an anti-Marcos protest was held in the People Power Monument due to the burial of Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. On November 5, 2017, critics of the Duterte administration attended a mass held in EDSA shrine to protest against extrajudicial killings in the country. On February 22, 2018, groups gathered at People Power Monument to hold a prayer vigil to show their opposition against constitutional reform. On February 22, 2020, demonstrators gathered at the People Power Monument to call on President Rodrigo Duterte to resign from office. On September 21, 2025, protests were held at the People Power Monument and EDSA Shrine, with thousands gathering for the Trillion Peso March to call for government transparency and accountability amidst the flood control projects controversy.
The avenue is also used in political campaigns by several politicians, particularly those who had been involved in the EDSA Revolution such as Joseph Estrada and Benigno Aquino III.
In popular culture
EDSA was also featured in the film The Bourne Legacy. Portions of the road from Magallanes Interchange to Taft Avenue were featured in a car chase wherein Aaron Cross, played by Jeremy Renner, jumps from the Taft Avenue footbridge to a plying bus.
Due to its notorious traffic congestion, Programang EDSA, a weekday rush hour radio program that aired on 90.7 Love Radio Manila in the early evening, is named after the avenue.
Pablo of SB19 wrote and performed the song "EDSA" that describes the experience of driving along this avenue especially during rush hour.