Bridge crossing NLEx forms part of thebypass road. Contributed photo
ANGELES CITY – A little more patience and the horrendous traffic motorists and commuters suffer daily, especially during rush hours, at a stretch of the main highway between this city and Magalang town will be finally over.
The Department of Public Works and Highways is set to complete within the year, said the agency’s regional director Roseller Tolentino.
The Pampanga 3rd District Engineering Office started in 2019 the construction of five connecting projects and another two projects in 2020 that will become the Angeles-Magalang Bypass Road.
The 2.605-kilometer bypass road is designed to provide an alternative route for motorists coming from Magalang to Angeles City, and vice versa.
District Engineer Arleen Beltran said about 1.08 kilometers of the bypass road already exists and the construction activities are now in its final stages, thus expected to finish within the year.
The first four components of the bypass project include a four-lane road leading to the newly constructed two-lane bridge that crosses the North Luzon Expressway.
This bypass is expected to ease traffic at the heavily congested area of Pulung Maragul Rotonda in Angeles City that is caused by the large volume of vehicles coming from the Angeles-Magalang-Mabalacat Road, NLEX, Balibago, and Magalang, as well as those at the city hall and Marquee Mall.
The District Office has completed six out of the seven project components, fast-tracking the bridge approach to make the bypass road ultimately passable, Beltran said.
Tolentino explained that funding for the remaining segment of the bypass road’s two-lane bridge was released only in the last quarter of 2020 and additional funds were later infused by the national government through the 2021 General Appropriations Act.
“We recognize the importance of this bypass road project to the people of Angeles City and its adjacent communities but last year, the government saw the need to prioritize the implementation of programs related to Covid-19 pandemic response. But now with its inclusion in this year’s national budget, I directed Beltran to expedite its completion without sacrificing the quality,” he furthered.
This project once completed will cut travel time by approximately 30 minutes for motorists traversing the Angeles-Magalang Road. —Carlo Lorenzo J. Datu/PIA-3
