Inauguration of the Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue Overpass
1. What is MaCEA?
The Makati Commercial Estate Association, Inc. (MaCEA) is the association of property owners (numbering 391 as of 30 June 2017) in the Makati Central Business District (MCBD), the country’s premier financial center.
It was established in 1963 for the purpose of advancing the civic, commercial and residential interests of its members, promoting the general welfare and prosperity of the District and its surrounding communities, and enhancing the reputation of the Association as a top-notch urban planner and developer, and the stature of the MCBD as the undisputed premier financial district in the Philippines.
MaCEA was registered with the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 25, 1963 for an initial operation life of 50 years. On October 7, 2011, the SEC approved an amendment to its Articles of Incorporation extending its operational existence for another fifty (50) years, from 25 February 2013 to 24 February 2063.
2. What are you announcing today?
MaCEA is launching today, 14 July 2017, the Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue Pedestrian Overpass Project. It is one of two foot bridges connecting the two sides of Gil Puyat Avenue.
The overpass being opened today links RCBC Plaza to The Columns Ayala Avenue and will benefit thousands of pedestrians and motorists who pass this main thoroughfare day and night, every day.
The footbridge is part of MaCEA’s tri-level Pedestrianization Program designed to ease traffic in the MCBD by making walking a safer, cheaper and more convenient option for moving around the district for both motorists and pedestrians.
Also to be announced today are updates on the modernization program for the underpass and elevated walkway escalators; the new, graphically designed street wayfinders, and the latest developments on our enhanced sidewalks.
3. Why is the Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue pedestrian overpass important?
Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue is a major arterial street in the metro that runs on an east-west/west-east course through the cities of Makati and Pasay, from EDSA on the east to Roxas Blvd. on the west.
MaCEA built the first overpass at a cost of P55 million, while the second overpass, linking the People Support building to the Makati Post Office, will cost P70 million.
The overpass is 38 linear meters long and 2.4 meters wide. It is accessible by staircases and escalators on both sides. It is covered with a roof and has been provided with glass railings.
Not many people may know this, but the avenue honors the late Gil J. Puyat, one of the most distinguished Filipino statesmen and businessmen of the country. He served as senator for 21 years, five of them as senate president. This street was formerly known as Buendia Ave., after Nicolas Buendia, a senator from Bulacan.
4. What are the updates to your modernization of the MCBD’s underpass escalators?
Eleven of 29 escalators around the MCBD have now been replaced at the cost of P55 million. The 11 new ones are now serving the pedestrian public in these locations:
Two at the Legazpi Underpass
Four in V.A. Rufino St.
Four in Paseo de Roxas
Entrance to the elevated walkway going to Greenbelt 5
The replacement of all 29 escalators in seven underpasses and the 1-km. elevated walkway, the country’s longest, is expected to be completed by 2022.
5. What has changed with the MCBD’s new street signs?
The new street signs have been enlarged, with a bigger, sans serif font that is eminently readable, made attractive with a graphic design at the inner corners that features the common colors of “Make it Makati” and the new MaCEA logo. The signs feature reflectorized text that make them visible in the dark.
As of 30 June, 28 new street signs have been installed in all the street corners along Ayala Avenue, from Apartment Ridge near EDSA all the way to Gil Puyat Avenue. Eventually, the new wayfinding system will cover all the street corners in the entire MCBD.
- What improvements have been done on the Makati sidewalks? Which areas were involved?
There are two sides to the sidewalk improvement project in the MCBD: one, the enhancement of open sidewalks, and two, the installation of roofs and lighting fixture over the sidewalks.
The latest run of the project has seen the enhancement of 14,721 sq.m of open sidewalks, with new tiles and ornamental plants in Salcedo and Legazpi Villages, and the outfitting of the 1,878 sq. m walkways with roofs and overhead lighting in both villages.
