Over the weekend, I happened to pass by what used to be the north end of Commonwealth Avenue near the back entrance to Jordan Plains Subdivision. Public utility jeepneys and private cars commonly use the subdivision streets to go to and from the Novaliches town center (Bayan). As such, the subdivision bears much of the negative externalities brought about by mostly unwanted through traffic. These include vehicle emissions and noise from motor vehicles, and the incidence of crime (mostly burglaries) in the  subdivision. Too long have they waited for Commonwealth and Quirino Highway to be connected to reduce through traffic and its unwanted derivatives in the subdivision.

After delays due to various reasons, the project was finally bidded out and implemented this year. The construction didn’t go without any problems and there were times particularly during rainy days when the site was quite difficult to traverse due to excavations, materials and a so-so traffic management scheme (mostly counterflows) that ensure vehicles traveling as if they were negotiating a labyrinth.  Still, work went on and at least people saw that it continued unlike other projects that went untouched after some excavations were made (“naka-tengga”).

I guess it was quite rewarding and a relief to a lot of people that the project will be completed soon and hopefully within the year and apparently on schedule.  Following are a few photos of the area I took last Sunday.

First look at the approach to the completed section of Commonwealth Avenue connecting to Quirino Highway.

Closer to what used to be a chaotic intersection towards Jordan Plains, it was clear that most of the major works have been completed and that the section to Quirino was passable. The only elements missing are the pavement markings and traffic signs.

Close-up of new intersection and section of Commonwealth leading to Quirino. Pedestrian crossing markings and lane markings and edge delineators are visible in this photo.

Kudos to the contractor of this project and the DPWH and Quezon City government for the near completion of the project. Now, if only the contractors of roadworks along Marcos Highway and Ortigas Avenue will follow the Commonwealth example and get their acts together and work more efficiently, not to mention do a better job managing traffic along the way, then probably people using those roads will have less headaches during this season.

While traveling between Metro Manila and Naga City in the Camarines Sur, I took the opportunity of taking photos of sections along the coastal roads in the towns of Quezon Province. These include roads in the towns of Atimonan, Gumaca and Atimonan, which face the waters of Lamon Bay, which in turn joins waters of the Philippine Sea as well as the Pacific Ocean. I have old photos of coastal roads on the other side of the province on the Bondoc Peninsula and will feature them in another post.

An old tire placed along the sea wall to advertise “vulcanizing” services to motorists, particularly truckers passing along this highway. “Vulcanizing,” of course is the term used for various services concerning ones tires. The shoulder stretching along the seawall serves as parking spaces for trucks plying routes along the Pan-Philippine Highway.

A peek at a small harbor located at the mouth of a river – there are many small ports located along Philippine coastlines. In some towns, there are several including those serving fishermen rather than passengers. One can see the lighthouse at some distance from the bridge where I took a quick shot.

There are many stores and eateries along the road and many travelers can choose among the carenderias or turu-turo’s. I haven’t tried eating at any of these eateries along this route but during field work, we routinely check out where we can have lunch or merienda. In some cases, you can even have viand cooked for you if you don’t like what’s being offered on the counter (often it’s just pots or pans containing various viands for the selection of the customer). For such seaside towns and barrios, I assume there’s a good supply of fish that can be cooked a number of ways.

Many stores have their usual customers (suki) among truckers. The wide shoulders provide for parking spaces but these may also bring about some hazards especially at night, and when the trucks are maneuvering. The excellent pavement conditions, and the level and straight sections can induce drivers to speed up along these roads, and such contributes to increased risk of road crashes.

I imagine it must be nice to live along the coast with a good view of the sea and with fresh air coming in from the east (Pacific Ocean). But then I am reminded of the typhoons that generally come from this direction. Quezon is one of the provinces that’s regularly on the roll call for when typhoon signals are announced.

In cases where the water is not deep enough for the larger vessels or bancas, piers are constructed. Such serve not only fishermen but people living in islands of the coast in Lamon Bay.

Some sections of the road have no inhabitants and can be quite dark at night given there are no lamp posts along the highway.

Typical pier serving large, motorized bancas serving as ferries to islands and other coastal towns. Such maritime transport are often advised to stay at port during inclement weather as they are not as sturdy as they look. Notice the outriggers that serve to stabilize the vessels as they encounter waves in the open sea.

Port of Atimonan – the construction of this port was supported by funds from the Government of Japan. Most ports are under the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), which is an agency under the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

Tayabas was the former name of Quezon Province which was and is among the largest provinces in the country. Tayabas province was renamed to Quezon after its most famous son, the first President of the Commonwealth Republic when the country was under American rule. Eventually, the province was partitioned into two with towns forming the province of Aurora, which was named after Quezon’s better half. The former capitol of Tayabas was Unisan in the southern part of the province during the Spanish Period, with Tayabas becoming the  capital during the American times. The capital is currently Lucena City, while the birthplace of Manuel Quezon, Baler, became capital of Aurora.

The highway sections from Lucban to Tayabas offers more of the same agricultural and forest scenes with the occasional human settlements along the road and often encroaching on the ROW. Because of the pleasant climate in these areas, flower farms may be found along the road.

Winding sections along the national highway include segments along the mountains with very narrow shoulders defined by open culverts for proper drainage.

There are many combinations of sag and crest vertical curves due to the terrain. The boundary between Lucban and Tayabas coincides with the well-defined vertical curves. Two structures (posts) located at either side of the road mark the boundary.

The national road goes through Tayabas and travelers would have to navigate their way inside the city. While there are directional signs, these are often lost among the visual noise of other signs.

A heritage house in Tayabas – being an old town, there are still many example of the bahay na bato, which were homes to the more prominent families in the Spanish and American Periods. These are very similar to structures in other old towns/cities such as Vigan, Manila, Cebu, Iloilo and Dapitan.

Streets in Tayabas are very much like the ones in Lucban with practically non-existent pedestrian facilities such as sidewalks and a propensity for on-street parking. Such effectively reduces the capacity of road but one-way streets are common in Tayabas, thereby compensating for this issue.

I am always intrigued by this old church along the national highway as you exit Tayabas city proper that looks like its shut and appears to be abandoned. I still don’t know what happened to the church and I’m aware of cases where places of worship such as churches are closed because of acts of desecration. In a way, it is supposed to be a form of punishment for the community for allowing such desecration to happen and the result is that penance, in part, is accomplished by instead going to church in the next town. In the older times, the next town would be quite far considering there were no modern roads or motor vehicles.

Long stretch of highway leading to Lucena – once the traveler leaves Tayabas city proper, he is again greeted with long stretches of road, mostly level rather than on rolling terrain. The highway sections are mostly excellent with pavements in condition and standard signs and markings. In populated areas, signs are often obscured by structures built or placed along the roadside.

The journey to Naga City via the eastern corridor from Quezon City to Rizal and the eastern towns of Laguna eventually led us to Quezon. For this post, I will feature mainly photos of roads in Lucban and will reserve shots of Tayabas, Lucena and the coastal roads of southeastern Quezon in future posts.

Arch welcoming travelers to Lucban – the structure is quite simple compared to other arches I’ve seen along national roads. The section from Luisiana to Lucban also features good pavement complemented by standard signs and markings. The scenery is also nice with the highway being tree-lined and you can open you windows to take a breath of cool fresh air.

Section leading to Lucban town proper has a good view of Mt. Banahaw.  The mountain is famous for its mystical reputation. It is also well-known for being the headquarters of the New People’s Army’s Banahaw command.

Another view of Mt. Banahaw from the national highway with a view of the countryside. Most towns along this stretch of the national highway are dependent on agriculture.

This narrow street is actually part of the national road that’s well within Lucban town proper. There are no sidewalks, much on-street parking. and tricycles and motorcycles actively mingling with through traffic. Notice the bus already encroaching upon the lane for opposing traffic. Note, too, the two pedestrians (one is a child) walking along the carriageway with a tricycle right behind them.

Narrow side street – Lucban is an old town and has many narrow streets that has changed very little in the past years. Since there are no significant traffic and a few have garages, many vehicles are just parked along the roads.

Another side street  in Lucban town leading to the old church and plaza. The town is structured similar to most old towns around the Philippines, with the center being the plaza that is surrounded by the church, the municipal hall and the marketplace.

Close call – as if to demonstrate just how narrow the national road was, a truck and bus squeeze slowly past each other.

After exiting the town proper, the traveler is again treated to rural scenes like farmers on horseback. While roads are generally of good condition, shoulders are practically just clear spaces along the roadside. Often, there are structures such as houses encroaching upon the ROW.

Many road sections between Lucban and Tayabas are on rolling terrain. This necessitates combinations of horizontal and vertical curves that can be quite hazardous to speeding motorists. Note that there are no shoulders and signs are usually lacking or obscured.

Next: Tayabas

In the previous post, I showed photos of road sections in Rizal I took during a trip to Naga City. This is a continuation but this time featuring sections of roads in Laguna. There are only a few photos I took of Laguna roads during our trip to Naga as I have taken many others before during other trips including seminars in Caliraya and projects in Quezon. Following are a few pictures:

Many sections in Laguna Province also have standard signs and markings but many signs are obscured by foliage and in this photo, banderitas from a past fiesta. Many sections along populated areas do not have shoulders mainly due to encroachment upon the road right of way.

Gigantic pipes leading to the turbines of the Kalayaan Hydro Electric Power Plant – the national highway passes through a section where on one side you have a view of the power plant below and on the other are pipes feeding water from the reservoir above where the elevation produces head for the generation of power downstream.

From the national road, one can get a nice view of Laguna De Bai. In some areas, however, the piles of garbage from makeshift dump sites are quite visible and presents the traveler with the sad state of waste management in coastal towns of the province.

Many sections of national roads in the eastern part of Laguna have excellent pavements with asphalt providing a smooth, comfortable ride. These also have good drainage though I am not sure about lighting/illumination since I have not had the chance to travel along these road at night.

Mountain sections though often do not have shoulders where vehicles may go to in cases of emergencies like breakdowns. Despite some steep sections where heavy vehicles like trucks and buses may slow down, there are no auxiliary or climbing lanes to allow for passing.

Next: Roads in Quezon