DPWH speeds up Plaridel Bypass Road widening

Plaridel Bypass Road targets opening by October

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced that they are speeding up road-widening works at the Plaridel Bypass Road, Bulacan, keeping it on track for the October 2022 target completion date.

In his inspection report to Public Works Secretary, Roger Mercado, Undersecretary for Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations and Build Build Build Chief Implementer, Emil Sadain, said that the widening of Arterial (Plaridel) Bypass Road from two lanes to four will not only provide more convenience to the traveling public but also faster delivery of local goods of Central Luzon and Cagayan Valley Region to Metro Manila.

Included in the flagship infrastructure projects of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, the construction of two additional road lanes as the ultimate stage of Arterial Plaridel Bypass Road will alleviate the slow movement of vehicles on the existing two-way, two-lane bypass road.

The ongoing project which was awarded to C. M. Pancho Construction Inc. is being undertaken in various contract packages, starting off with the portion in Barangay Tiaong, Guiguinto, Bulacan at station 34 + 900 to Barangay Bonga Menor, Bustos at station 47 + 400.

This stretch under contract packages 1 and 2 involves the construction of an 11.82-kilometer two-lane concrete road with as-designed concrete pavement thickness of 350 millimeters (about 14 inches) on a hardly compacted Portland Cement-treated base course to form a strong and durable highway and prolong its service life.

The contract also covers the construction of seven short bridges with a total length of 241 meters, two flyovers, ten underpasses, drainage facilities, and slope protection works including provision of miscellaneous activities such as installation of road signs, kilometer posts, guardrails, and pavement markings.

Also, an ongoing contract package 4 under Sino Road & Bridge Group Company Ltd. covers the widening of the 7.74-kilometer road section from station 49 + 625 in Brgy. Tambubong, San Rafael to station 57 + 365 at the Philippine – Japan Friendship Highway or Daang Maharlika Highway in Barangay Maasim, San Rafael.

The contract package which is at more than 66 percent complete and targetted for completion by October 2022 also covers the construction of a 318-meter flyover.

The widening of another major component of the bypass road was earlier completed last year covering the 2.22-kilometer section of the road, including the Angat Bridge,  which is among the longest bridges in Central Luzon at 1.12 kilometers.

Despite going full blast, the DPWH and its contractors are complying with the construction and health safety guidelines of the government.

Hopefully, come October, travel from McArthur Highway in Guiguinto to the Pan-Philippine HWY in San Miguel, Bulacan, and to Nueva Ecija will be smoother than ever, thanks to the efforts of DPWH.