MANILA — The government can complete the rebuild of EDSA in 6 months by tapping a contractor with experience in modern technology, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Monday.

DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon said he has seen proposals from several contractors since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. gave the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) a month to rethink the planned rebuilding of the capital region's busiest thoroughfare.

“Sa pagkakaalam ko, ang DPWH ay kumakalap ng iba’t ibang proposal galing sa iba’t ibang mga contractor, both domestic and foreign. Kasi ang utos ng Pangulo, simple language naman, hindi puwedeng dalawang taon… Masyadong maaberya yung mga kababayan natin. So 6 months, kung kakayanin ang pagre-rebuild ng EDSA,” Dizon said.

“Mayroon na po akong nakitang ibang proposal galing sa mga iba’t ibang grupo at mukhang kakayanin po. Kailangan lang po na pumili tayo ng makabagong teknolohiya. Hindi na pupuwede yung dati pong ginagawa na conventional na paraan,” he told DZMM.

“Ito na yung pagkakataon para medyo mag-modernize naman tayo nang kaunti sa ating mga construction methodology,” the official added.

What needs to be done before EDSA rehab? Ex-DPWH chief speaks

Marcos also paused the EDSA rebuild until a "solid" rerouting plan is in place and until all affected local government units are "ready.”

The EDSA rehabilitation was supposed to start this month, but the government's planned odd-even scheme — which will limit motorists to using EDSA to only 2-3 times a week — received public backlash.

The administration was also criticized for the alleged lack of alternative routes for motorists who use the decades-old highway that cuts across at least 6 Metro Manila cities as it stretches from Caloocan in the north to Pasay City in the south.

"Ang sabi ko nga ay masyadong matagal naman 'yung dalawang taon para maabala ang mga kababayan natin," Marcos said of the EDSA rebuild earlier this month.

— With a report from Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News