THE 9.6-kilometer Pulilan-Baliuag Diversion Road is now fully open to motorists after the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) completed its construction recently.
DPWH Secretary Mark Villar led on Friday, March 12, the inspection of the newly-completed phase bypass road that connects the towns of Pulilan and Baliuag in Bulacan.
Villar said lane widening and installation of reflectorized bike lanes and metal beam guards, and the construction of slope protection structures to ensure the safety of the travelling public and cycling enthusiasts were conducted under the last phase of the project.
Through the infrastructure, travel time between the said towns was from one hour to just 30 minutes or less, added Villar.
"There are about 300 motorists who passed by this road every day who are now enjoying the faster, safer and more comfortable travel from Baliwag to Pulilan and vice versa," he said.
The newly-upgraded thoroughfare also features a Level 2 bike lane that provides a safe space for bikers.
"The Covid-19 pandemic gave rise to biking as an alternative mode of transportation, and the DPWH promptly acted with the installation of additional safety interventions to protect cyclists and the motoring public using the diversion road," Villar said.
Meanwhile, DPWH-Central Luzon Director Roseller Tolentino said the construction of Pulilan-Baliuag Diversion Road began in 2016 as the most cost-effective solution for the lingering traffic congestion along the Pulilan and Baliuag portions of Daang Maharlika in Bulacan.
The business climate in the areas of Pulilan, Calumpit and Baliuag and access to the North Luzon Expressway has improved since the soft-opening diversion road was opened in May 2019.
"Cargo trucks coming from various points of North and Central Luzon have been given access to the bypass that opened the opportunities for continuing progress in this part of Bulacan," he said.
The Pulilan-Baliuag Diversion Road project was nominated as the Philippine’s official entry for the Mino Best Project Award-Community Road Category of the Road Engineering Association of Asia and Australasia (REAAA) for the project’s social effectiveness and impact, environment friendliness and technical excellence.
Tolentino said REAAA nomination is a testament that the Pulilan-Baliuag Diversion Road, owing to its provision of direct economic benefits to the communities, is considered among the outstanding road projects constructed in the Asian and Australasia region.