The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced on Friday that the expansion of the major bridge along Plaridel Bypass Road in Bulacan is nearing completion.
Public Works and Highways Sec. Mark Villar said that the widening of the bypass road is among the “game-changing” projects of DPWH under the Luzon Spine Expressway Network Program that is aimed to reduce travel time in Luzon.
“The completion of this route eased up the congestion of traffic at the Daang Maharlika or Pan-Philippine Highway with about about 15,000 vehicles diverted to Plaridel By Pass and created an alternative route to the towns of Angat, Balagtas and Pandi, Bulacan,” Villar said.
The DPWH said that the construction of additional two lanes on Angat Bridge will be able to serve the increasing number of vehicles utilizing the Plaridel Bypass Road travelling to and from the eastern towns of Bulacan as well as motorist bound to and from Nueva Ecija and Cagayan Valley Region.
Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain of the Unified Project Management Office Operations and Technical Services said that the widening of the 1.161 kilometer Angat Bridge along the Arterial Plaridel Bypass Road “is progressing well.” The agency said that Project Director Virgilio Castillo is looking at the possibility of completing the project by December.
The project, financed by a loan agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency, involves the widening of the 24.61-km Plaridel Bypass Road from two lanes to four lanes, connecting the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) to Daang Maharlika in San Rafael, Bulacan and vice versa.
The DPWH said that since its opening in May 2018, the bypass road has cut travel time from Manila to San Rafael, Bulacan by 45 minutes.