BUSTOS, Bulacan—The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is set to build a 24.61-kilometer arterial road that will link the North Luzon Expressway (Nlex) with the Maharlika Highway, also known as the Philippine-Japan Friendship Highway, which traverses the central part of Luzon.
The arterial road will complete the remaining segments of the Plaridel Bypass Road to alleviate the perennial traffic congestion at the core centers and interconnection point of the Nlex with the highway in Plaridel.
Gov. Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado on Wednesday led the ocular inspection of the Arterial Road Bypass Project, Phases I and II Plaridel Bypass Road Contract Packages (CP) III and IV in Barangay Bonga Menor in this municipality.
He was joined by Vice Gov. Daniel Fernando, Central Luzon DPWH Director Antonio Molano Jr. and Virgilio Castillo, project director of road management cluster I.
Castillo said the bypass road seeks to alleviate traffic congestion and enhance transportation capacity and efficiency around the towns located in and to contribute to socioeconomic development of Metro Manila the northern suburbs of the area.
The bypass road will be constructed with a two-way, two-lane road at the initial stage. Two more lanes will be constructed later as the final stage, he said.
Castillo said Phase I includes packages 1 and 2, where package 1 starts from Balagtas to Plaridel, which measures 6.87 kilometers, while package 2 starts from Plaridel to Bustos, with 7.78 km in total length.
He said Phase II involves packages 3 and 4, where package 3 begins from Bustos to San Rafael, which measures 2.22 km in total length, while package 4 is 7.74 km in total length and located in the municipality of San Rafael in this province.
Castillo said packages 1 and 2 are already completed, while packages 3 and 4 are still under construction. He said the Bustos-to-San Rafael Road is 87-percent complete and expected to be done on June 27 this year. Package 4 in San Rafael is 26.2-percent complete, and expected to be done on July 11, 2018. He said the pavement is 30 centimeters thick and 7 meters wide. Castillo added the contract amount of the CP III is worth P1.204 billion, while the CP IV is worth P562.94 million.
Castillo said with the completion of Phase I, time savings of 20 minutes to 23 minutes is attained using the completed section of the bypass road; contract packages 1 and 2, with the Alejo Santos Road as access to Pan-Philippine Highway (PPH), directly benefits the towns of Balagtas, Bustos, Baliuag, Pandi, Plaridel, San Rafael and Angat.
He said the completed Phase I of the bypass road eases up the congested traffic in Plaridel, Pulilan and Baliuag towns section of the PPH, and creating an alternative route to Angat and Bustos town proper and Pandi bypassing Santa Maria town via the Bocaue Exit.
Castillo said the realization of the travel-time savings of approximately 45 minutes to 50 minutes will be achieved once the construction of CP III and CP IV under Phase II will be completed. The travel distance will be shortened by approximately 5 km. He said approximately 15,000 vehicles will be diverted to the Plaridel Bypass, decongesting the traffic at the PPH by 40 percent.
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Title of the article :”DPWH constructs bypass road in Bulacan to help minimize Metro Manila traffic”
Tanong: How does a road in Bulacan minimize traffic in Metro Manila?
This should be constructed all the way to Dona Remedios Trinidad town.