DPWH bridge expansion at Plaridel by pass road reaches 89%
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO---Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark A. Villar announced that expansion of the major bridge of the Arterial Road By Pass Project Phase 3 in the Province of Bulacan is now nearing completion.
Villar said that the widening of the Plaridel By Pass Road to further ensure safety and convenience of the motoristsis among the game-changing projects of DPWH under the Luzon Spine Expressway Network Program aimed at reducing road travel time in Luzon island.
The completion of this route eased up the congestion of traffic at the Daang Maharlika or Pan-Philippine Highway with about 15,000 vehicles diverted to Plaridel By Pass and created an alternative route to the towns of Angat, Balagtas and Pandi, Bulacan, added Secretary Villar.
In his report to Secretary Villar following an onsite inspection, Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain of the Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations and Technical Services said that the widening from two (2) lanes to four (2) lanes of the 1.161 kilometer Angat Bridge along Arterial Plaridel By Pass Road is progressing well and UPMO Roads Management Cluster 1 (UPMO RMC 1) Team headed by Project Director Virgilio Castillo are working at the possibility of completing by December.
The construction of additional two (2) lanes Angat Bridge will be able to serve the increasing number vehicles utilizing the Plaridel Bypass Road travelling to and from the eastern towns of Bulacan as well as motorist bound to/ from Nueva Ecija and Cagayan Valley Region.
Although hampered by the work stoppage due to Covid-19 movement restrictions in Luzon between March to May, construction work at Contract Package 3 costing P1.09 Billion that covers widening of a total of 2.22 kilometer including two bridges namely Angat Bridge and Bridge No. 8 has already attained an overall accomplishment of 89 percent to date, added Sadain.
Despite pandemic, DPWH UPMO team together with our partner project contractors and consultants continued to race against time to meet targets and deliver major infratsructure projects under the Build, Build, Build program of President Rodrigo Duterte administration, said Sadain.
The project, financed by a loan agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency, involves the widening from two lanes to four lanes of the entire Plaridel By Pass Road which is 24.61-kilometers in length connecting the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) to Daang Maharlika in San Rafael, Bulacan and vice versa.
The bypass road was officially launched for public use on May 2018 and has cut travel time from Manila to San Rafael, Bulacan by 45 minutes.
At present, traffic build-up at some sections of the bypass road already shows during the late afternoon up to night time.
Among the recent ongoing and completed component works of contract package 3 are the embankment at main bypass from station 49+ 900 to station 49+ 930; concrete pouring for box girder 17 at pier 17, deck slab between pier 6 and pier 7, diaphragm between pier 12 and pier 13; and construction of wingwall for underpass. (PR)