Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar said that the Plaridel Bypass Road Phase II, Package 3 will be finished by June this year.
“The Plaridel Bypass Road is an arterial road of 24.61 km that will link the NLEX in Balagtas, Bulacan with the Maharlika Highway in San Rafael, Bulacan,” Villar said.
“It will bypass the town proper of Plaridel and urban areas of Pulilan and Baliuag along the existing Maharlika Highway, to alleviate the perennial traffic congestion at the core urban areas along the Philippine-Japan Friendship Highway road section from Plaridel to San Rafael, Bulacan,” he noted.
As of January 30, 2017, Package 3 of the bypass road is 86.16% complete while Package 4 is still at 22.92%.
“We will maintain 24/7 operations in the area to meet our project deadline. We will continue to do so until the project is completed,” Villar noted.
“By July 2018, the public will have full access to the entire project,” he added.
The Plaridel Bypass Road starts at Brgy. Borol in Balagtas along the North Expressway and will connect the Maharlika Highway in Brgy. Maasim, San Rafael, Bulacan. Itbypasses the vast agricultural lands of five (5) municipalities in Bulacan namely Balagtas, Guiguinto, Plaridel, Bustos and San Rafael.
When completed, the bypass would include the construction of 11 bridges, 2 interchanges, 5 overpasses, and 1 intersection. The project includes the construction of two service roads, one each side along the Toll Road, along section Burol to Angat River.
“The Plaridel Bypass road will reduce travel time by about 45 to 50 mins and will divert about 15,000 vehicles from existing road networks. Travel distance will also be shortened by about 5 kilometers,” Villar noted.