The widening works on Angat River Bridge in Bulacan have been completed, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced Wednesday, April 21.
Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark A. Villar bared the completion of the widening works of the 1.22-kilometer (km) bridge, which at present is one of the longest bridges in the Philippines.
The bridge now has a total of four lanes--two lanes for each direction, Villar said. It used to have only two lanes, one for each direction.
The bridge is a part of the Plaridel Bypass Road, which serves as an alternate route for motorists going to Maharlika Highway.
The widening project is covered by contract package (CP) 3 of the Arterial Road Bypass Project (ARBP) Phase 3, which has a total funding of ₱1.092 billion. It was financed through a loan agreement between the Philippines and the Government of Japan (GOJ) through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
According to Undersecretary Emil Sadain, ARBP-Phase 3 involves the widening from two lanes to four lanes of the entire 24.61-km bypass road from NLEX in Balagtas to San Rafael, Bulacan. The move is meant to help the road cope with the present traffic situation.
About 15,000 vehicles have been diverted to the Plaridel Bypass since its completion, thus decongesting the traffic at the Pan-Philippine Highway.