The 7.17-kilometer bypass road here is now open to motorists following its inauguration on Monday.
The bypass road that crosses two major road intersections of Urdaneta-Dagupan Road and Urdaneta-Manaoag Provincial Road will benefit an estimated 38,000 motorists daily, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Ilocos regional director Ronnel Tan said in his speech.
The project worth PHP1.885 billion involved the construction of six lanes of Portland concrete cement pavement including sidewalk, drainage, slope protection, and installation of solar street lights.
It also included the construction of four permanent bridges along the bypass road that reduces travel time between Villasis town proper to Binalonan to just 30 minutes, Tan said.
“These bridges are the 90.90 meters Macalong Bridge, 70.90 meters Mitura Bridge 136.76 meters Mitura Bridge 2, and 60.90 meters Camantiles Bridge,” he said.
Tan added the DPWH will allot up to PHP400-million funding for additional features such as bike lanes and the installation of more solar lights.
The bypass road project started in 2014 with land acquisition and its full blast construction began in 2016 until 2020.
DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said the project is part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s goal to connect the entire Luzon through an improved road system.
He said the completion of the Urdaneta bypass road is expected to address traffic bottlenecks during peak hours along Manila North Road in Urdaneta City, and establish an improved national road system in the province of Pangasinan.
Villar said part of the continuing big construction projects in the province are the Mangatarem-Zambales bypass road, the Lingayen-Binmaley-Dagupan bypass road, and the coastal road at the first district of Pangasinan.
The ceremonial opening of the bypass road was also attended by DPWH Senior Undersecretary Rafael Yabut, Assistant Secretary Wilfredo Mallari, Pangasinan 5th District Rep. Ramon Guico III, Pangasinan 5th District Board Member Chinky Perez-Tababa, Urdaneta City Mayor Julio Parayno III, and other public works and local officials. (PNA)
