By-Pass Road Relieves Traffic

Last Friday, the opening of the first section of the bypass road is greatly anticipated to alleviate the perennial traffic congestion along the 49-km the Jose P. Laurel Highway or the old Manila-Batangas Road as many new structures like hospitals, malls and other business establishments in Lipa were built in the area.

The 5.39-km MBBR road project was implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region IV-A under District Engineer Rody A. Angulo.

A Key Project

It is considered as a key infrastructure project in the province of Batangas which reflects a promise to ease traffic flow, improve road safety, create a greater impact to trade, commerce, industry, education, healthcare, and tourism in the city of Lipa.

Above all else, the said project will complete and complement the province’s vision to becoming South Luzon’s business and agricultural hub.

The six-lane MBBR is complete with safety features, streetlights, sidewalks and bicycle lanes.

It starts at Barangay Inosluban and passes through the Lipa-Balete Road (near STAR Tollway Interchange) and will end at Barangay Balintawak along Ayala Highway.

The first section that will be opened to the public covers Brgy. Inosluban to Brgy. Marawoy, an almost 2-km road.

Once the whole project is completed, the travel time from Brgy. Inosluban to Brgy. Balintawak will be lessened from 30 minutes to 7 minutes.

Fuel Saving Ride

The MBBR project is just actually, another set of better, faster, road facets the Duterte administration has embarked on under the Build Build Build program.

Also ongoing is an expressway that would trim travel time from Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Lucena down to just one hour from the present grueling four-hour drive.

That’s a good savings of three hours and a lot of fuel on the tank especially now that diesel and gasoline are threatening to breach the P100 mark to a liter.

Indeed, it would be a big, good relief to the pockets of motorists amid the never-ending spike in fuel prices.

Up To Lucena

That is the promise of the new four-lane toll road project from Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Tayabas/Lucena City in Quezon, also known as TR4 Expressway.

When finished, the new TR4 South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) extension would greatly improve the transport of goods and services from the Southern Provinces to Manila and vice versa.

Similarly, it will also decongest, and reduce the volume of traffic plying the Pan-Philippine Highway or better known as the Maharlika Highway, which, through time and development and opening of malls in some areas like in San Pablo City, traffic has become unbearable to motorists.

Aside from the shortened travel time, TR4 would also enhance the economic efficiency of SLEX, allowing it to meet the increasing demand of traffic volumes due to the rapid growth of population, urbanization, and economic development of Quezon Province and adjoining provinces.

The DPWH said the project is expected to efficiently move people, products/goods, and services to and from Laguna, Batangas, Quezon, and Bicol Region.

TR4 also promises to provide motorists with safer and more convenient travel on modern tollway facilities like well-lit toll plazas, fiber optics, and CCTV cameras, among others.

Unknown to many Tomasinos, however, construction of which is already in full swing and this early, plans for future business investment plans near the TR4 Sto. Tomas City (STC) exit in Barangay San Antonio are now agog.

Segments have been properly TR4’s revised alignment is divided into sixpackages as follows (sections and length).

Package A: Santo Tomas, Batangas to Makban, Laguna (11.32km)

Package B: Makban, Laguna to San Pablo, Laguna (12.75km)

Package C: San Pablo, Laguna to Tiaong, Quezon (7.50km)

Package D: Tiaong, Quezon to Candelaria, Quezon (15km)

Package E: Candelaria, Quezon to Tayabas, Quezon (10.21km)

Package F: Tayabas, Quezon to Brgy. Mayao, Lucena, Quezon (9.96km)

Project completion, the DPWH said is to years from now (2024).