DPWH targets to complete road widening activities for Bulacan Bypass Road this year

MANILA: The Arterial Bypass Road in Bulacan, which connects the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) to the Philippine-Japan Friendship Highway or Daang Maharlika, is now being widened from two to four lanes.

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Senior Undersecretary Emil Sadain stated that the 22.46-kilometer Arterial Bypass Road's widening project aims to cater for higher traffic volume and improve travel efficiency.

The five municipalities of Bulacan that the road network crosses, namely, Balagtas, Guiguinto, Plaridel, Bustos, and San Rafael, have gradually benefited economically as a result. The area has been transformed into commercial and industrial centers, which have created jobs, connected people to major employment areas, and drawn more businesses to the eastern part of Bulacan and the nearby province of Nueva Ecija in Central Luzon.

In his inspection report to DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, Sadain said that three contract packages are in progress to construct two new westbound traffic lanes from NLEX at station 34 + 900 in Barangay Burol, Balagtas to station 57 + 366 in Barangay Maasim, San Rafael.

The 5.26-billion project is part of the Arterial Bypass Road Project Phase 3 and was funded by Loan Agreement No. PH-P266 between the Government of the Philippines (GOP) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It was carried out by DPWH's Unified Project Management Office-Roads Management Cluster 1 (UPMO-RMC1) and includes concrete paving on new lanes, installation of box culverts and drainage structures, construction of eight bridges and three flyovers, and slope protection and miscellaneous structures.

Sadain, who is in charge of all of the DPWH flagship projects, together with UPMO-RMC1 Project Director Benjamin Bautista and Project Managers Basilio Elumba and Hermie Sablan, recently conducted an inspection focusing on the 7.7-kilometer contract package 4 in San Rafael town.

This contract package from Sino Road & Bridge Group Co. Ltd is 90% complete and includes work on the 318-meter Flyover No. 4 that will be built at the intersection of Kalsadang Bago.

Meanwhile, the 12.27-kilometer segment between Barangay Tiaong in Guiguinto and Barangay Bonga Menor in Bustos supervised by C.M.  Pancho Construction Inc. is 42% complete.

“If things go according to plan, the road widening activities for the entire project alignment will be completed within the last quarter of 2023,” Sadain said.

One of the longest bridges in Luzon, the westbound two-lane, 1.12-kilometer Angat Bridge (Bridge No. 8) was one of the 2.22-kilometer sections under contract package 3 that DPWH previously completed widening from two lanes to four lanes.

In order to meet the increased load demand, the agency has also begun work on the repair or replacement of damaged concrete on a few segments of paved road that were completed under phases 1 and 2.

Photo from Department of Public Works and Highways

Also read: DPWH constructs and rehabilitates over 1K km of roads from Jul-Nov 2022