Last Sunday (January 21, 2024), we joined a group ride to Binondo with cycling advocacy group Firefly Brigade and went around Escolta afterwards to check out the newly opened Pasig River Esplanade. This area behind the Central Manila Post Office right next to Jones Bridge is set to be the newest tourist attraction along the river.
By now, you’ve probably seen the aerial night photos shared by city planner and landscape architect Paulo Alcazaren of the rehabilitated sections of Pasig River which have been circulating online after its grand launch last Wednesday, January 17.
According to Alcazaren, who is one of the consultants for the project, this 500-meter stretch is just the first section of nine areas that will cover whole 26-kilometer stretch of the Pasig River, serving as a showcase area.
In his Philippine Star column, he shared that a major part of the vision was to make the whole stretch a walkable and bikeable linear park similar to the Iloilo Esplanade and other waterside projects in the Philippines and Singapore.
There are many areas of Manila that are not bike-friendly. Lagusnilad Underpass does not allow people to pass with bicycles even if you walk your bike. You also can’t bring in bikes inside Arroceros Forest Park. So it’s always great to hear of developments that allow bikes. The riverside areas will soon be utilized and give pedestrians and cyclists a more scenic area to walk and cycle around the city and decongest traffic. From the riverside drive, there’s a ramp leading up to the esplanade, while pedestrians can just take the stairs from the bridge.
The Pasig River Esplanade has been designed in the same neo-classical style with ornate lamp posts to match the Jones Bridge and the pre-war Manila Central Post Office building. After the big fire that hit the post office in 2023, there are plans to repurpose the building for heritage tourism.
And while the esplanade isn’t complete yet, it will soon connect the points of interest more easily along Pasig River. According to plans from WTA Architecture and Design Studio, the Pasig River front sections will have various activities planned along the 25 km stretch.
When we visited 4 days after their launch, construction was still ongoing in the area connecting to the the Riverside Drive in Intramuros to the section under the Binondo-Intramuros Bridge. The rest of the path leading to MacArthur Bridge was also still being paved.
From the esplanade, you can see the Carriedo LRT Station and bike to other points of interest like the Metropolitan Theatre and Intramuros. The esplanade is also right across the Escolta River Ferry Station near Binondo. In case you didn’t know, bicycles are allowed on the ferry. Check out the Pasig River Ferry Guide.
While the area looks pretty impressive during the day, for the best views, you’ll probably want to drop by in the afternoons and evenings when all the lampposts and fountain area are lit up.
As explained during the launch, the project is supposedly “more than just a beautification exercise.” The vision is eventually “to transform the Pasig River into a center of economic activity, tourism, and promote transportation connectivity in Metro Manila and adjacent provinces.”
The new urban developments happening in Manila are definitely something to watch out for. In many other cities we’ve biked in, the linear parks along both banks of riversides and streams usually offer the best alternative routes for city cycling instead of the main highways.
Imagine being able to bike safely through linear parks and dedicated bike lanes along Pasig River all the way from Laguna Lake to Manila Bay. That would be amazing. Let’s see how this goes!
UPDATE (Feb 20, 2024): Barely a month after its launch, the Pasig River Esplanade’s first completed section has become a very popular location for visitors. Because of the volume of visitors, it now needs to CLOSED every Monday for maintenance and construction work for the extension areas. According to Alcazaren, “by summer the esplanade is projected to at least triple its current length along with the addition of proper snack kiosks and other amenities.”