Nagtahan Interchange

The Nagtahan Interchange, also known as the Nagtahan Flyover and the Mabini Flyover, is a three-level set of three intersecting flyovers in Manila, the Philippines which serves as the junction between Lacson Avenue, Nagtahan Street, Legarda Street, Magsaysay Boulevard, and Jose P. Laurel Street, as well as the nearby Mabini Bridge.

History

Straddling the boundary of Sampaloc, Santa Mesa, and San Miguel, the interchange was originally the Rotonda de Sampaloc, a roundabout which at the turn of the 20th century marked the boundary between Manila's urban core and its suburbs. At the center was the Carriedo Fountain, built in 1884 to commemorate the inauguration of Manila's waterworks system. However, in 1976 the Rotonda de Sampaloc was cleared due to traffic congestion, and the Carriedo Fountain was moved, first to the headquarters of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System in Diliman, Quezon City, and eventually to Plaza Santa Cruz in downtown Manila, where it remains today.

The eventual construction of the interchange was driven by the need to alleviate continuing severe traffic congestion along the Circumferential Road 2 corridor. In February 1990, the administration of President Corazon Aquino signed an agreement with Japan to fund the construction of two interchanges, including the Nagtahan Interchange, using Japanese official development assistance funds. The project was later certified as urgent by the Aquino administration, which allowed it to proceed quickly with construction, and the near-¥1.6 billion ( ₱257.58 million) interchange began construction in May 1991. The completed interchange was opened to traffic in March 1992, ten months ahead of schedule.

A subsequent study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency issued in 2001 shows that in the nine years since the Nagtahan Interchange was constructed, traffic flows improved considerably despite the doubling in the number of cars on Metro Manila roads in that same time frame. However, there were concerns that underinvestment in its maintenance would be detrimental for any major rehabilitation work to take place when the need arises.

Artwork

In 2013, students from various universities in Metro Manila re-touched the murals of prominent national heroes which were painted along the stone column of the Nagtahan Interchange. The project was undertaken by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, where it aimed to create awareness of Filipino history and culture.

References

{{Road infrastructure in Manila

Road interchanges in the Philippines