Epifanio de los Santos Avenue

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EDSA with its many billboards

Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA)

Evening rush hour

Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, abbreviated EDSA, is the main highway in Metro Manila, Philippines. It is an important commuting hub between the northern and southern parts of the metropolis. EDSA is a partially controlled access, divided highway (expressway) with many interchanges along its length that eliminate the need for traffic lights, but with a few traffic lights where there is insufficient space or funds for a complete interchange. EDSA typically handles around 300,000 cars every day^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}, typical of major freeways in other large cities.

EDSA forms a major portion of one of the circumferential roads in Metro Manila, C-4. It runs in a rough semicircle around Metropolitan Manila and, from the south, passes through the cities of Pasay, Makati, Mandaluyong, San Juan, Quezon City, and Caloocan. Its southern endpoint is at the rotunda near the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay and its northern terminus is at Monumento, a monument to Andres Bonifacio, in Caloocan. When the avenue was constructed during the presidency of Manuel L. Quezon, it was named Junio 19, after national hero Jose Rizal's date of birth. It was later renamed Highway 54, and because of a Republic Act in 1959 was further renamed in honor of Epifanio de los Santos, a noted historian. "Epifanio de los Santos" also means, the gathering of the Saints. It is also named the battleground of advertising billboards^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}.

The Metro Rail Transit or MRT, Line 3 of the metropolis's railway system, runs along most of EDSA, from Taft Avenue in the south to North Avenue near the SM City North Edsa Mall in northern EDSA. Future expansion of the MRT will extend it all the way to Monumento.

EDSA also figures prominently in the recent history of the Philippines for being the site of two peaceful demonstrations that toppled the administration of two presidents, Ferdinand Marcos and Joseph Estrada (See EDSA Revolution and EDSA II.), as well as major rallies of the political opposition which have twice rocked Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's term, first in her earlier months, then most recently in February 2006, the 20th anniversary of the EDSA Revolution, as she proposed sweeping political changes.

Epifanio de los Santos Avenue

See also