The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has announced yet another completed infrastructure project. This time, it’s the new Urdaneta Bypass Road in the province of Pangasinan.
In a press release, the DPWH claimed that the newly finished project will cut travel time between the Villasis town proper to Binalonan to just 30 minutes and address bottlenecks during peak hours along Manila North Road in Urdaneta City.
Urdaneta Bypass Road cost and numbers
More than P1.8 billion went into constructing the 7.17km six-lane road. The allocated budget includes four bridges spanning between 37 to 91 meters each, sidewalks, solar street lights, a drainage system, and slope protection. The DPWH also says that a bike lane will be created as part of future developments for the new piece of infrastructure, to promote the use of bicycles among the public.
“Malaki po ang time savings natin dahil yung biyahe natin na umaabot ng isang oras at kalahati magiging 30 minutes na lang,” DPWH head Mark Villar said during the Urdaneta Bypass Road’s inauguration on January 18, 2021. “Yung dadaan sa Urdaneta hindi na kailangan dumaan pa sa traffic area sa bayan.”
We’ve said this before, but we’ll say it again anyway: Megaprojects in Metro Manila won’t mean much if the government is unable to improve travel and transportation in the provinces as well. What other infrastructure projects are you looking forward to being completed?
