Escalator Replacement Program underway, 11 new ones installed

It was in 1995 when the Association started concretizing its then newly- hatched pedestrianization plan for the MCBD. The plan called for the
construction of three levels of walkways— on grade, underground, and above ground—to promote a major lifestyle change for motorists, encouraging them Architect’s drawing JULY 2017 to quit taking short hops
around the district and take to walking instead. This was aimed at easing the traffic situation in the district before it got worse.

They started with the underpasses, which were equipped
with ascend escalators placed alongside stairways. The normal lifespan of an escalator, given wear and tear, is 15 years. Which explains their frequent breakdowns after 2010. Last year, the Board decided it was time the mechanized stairs were retired. And replaced. The answer: a project to replace the 29 escalators in the 7 underpasses and the elevated walkway that runs the length of De la Rosa St. in Legazpi Village. As of
April 2017, 11 new machines have been installed—two in the Legazpi Underpass, four each at the Rufino and Paseo de Roxas underpasses, and one at the entrance to elevated walkway towards Greenbelt 5.

Replacement of the 18 others will be done on a staggered schedule until 2022 at a total cost of 90 million. The 11 escalators now in place cost P50 million.

It is clear that MaCEA is leaving no stone unturned in its continuing bid
to further secure Makati CBD’s place as the most prized business address in the country.