Balintawak Interchange

The Balintawak Interchange /bɑːlɪntaʊwɑːk/, also known as the Balintawak Cloverleaf, is a two-level cloverleaf interchange in Quezon City, Metro Manila, the Philippines which serves as the junction between Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) and the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx). Opened in 1968 as part of the initial 37-kilometer (23 mi) NLEx segment between Quezon City and Guiguinto, Bulacan, it was one of the first projects of the Construction and Development Corporation of the Philippines, now the Philippine National Construction Corporation (PNCC).[1]

"Balintawak Cloverleaf" redirects here. For the nearby shopping mall, see Ayala Malls Cloverleaf.

Balintawak Interchange
Balintawak Cloverleaf
The Balintawak Interchange in 1968
Location
Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Coordinates14°39′26.6″N 121°0′0.7″E
Roads at
junction
Construction
TypeTwo-level cloverleaf interchange
Constructed1966 by the Construction and Development Corporation of the Philippines
Opened1968
Maintained byDepartment of Public Works and Highways
NLEX Corporation

Construction of the interchange was precipitated by the large number of motor vehicles in Manila and the surrounding suburbs in the 1960s, which contributed to significant traffic congestion. On June 25, 1966, President Ferdinand Marcos ordered the Department of Public Works to undertake the construction of a number of road projects to be financed through World War II reparations, including the construction of interchanges on vital intersections along EDSA.[2] This order led to the construction of this interchange, replacing a previous roundabout between EDSA, A. Bonifacio Avenue, and Quirino Highway, and the Magallanes Interchange between EDSA and the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), which opened in 1975. A shrine to Andres Bonifacio was later built inside the interchange, which underwent a ₱13 million renovation in 2009.[3]

Flooding in the area around the Balintawak Interchange is a problem, with the interchange being named in 2014 as one of the twenty-two most flood-prone roadways in Metro Manila.[4] In 2015, the Manila North Tollways Corporation, the concessionaire of NLEX, spent close to ₱70 million to improve the interchange's drainage systems in order to mitigate flooding.[5] In addition to flooding, the interchange has been criticized by columnist Cito Beltran of The Philippine Star for being rife with corrupt policemen and petty crime.[6]

Apart from the wet markets and drop-off points of goods from the north, Ayala Malls Cloverleaf and the entire Cloverleaf complex is located southeast of the interchange. An LRT-1 station serves the location east of the interchange.

References
  1. "PNCC PROJECTS". Philippine National Construction Corporation. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  2. Office of the President of the Philippines. (1966). "Official Week in Review: June 16 — June 30, 1966". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines, 62(31), cclxi-cclxxvii.
  3. "Bonifacio Shrine improvements worth P13 M – Belmonte". Philippines News Agency. November 30, 2009. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  4. Brizuela, Maricar B. (July 9, 2014). "Beware of 22 most flood-prone streets". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  5. "MNTC undertakes P119-M NLEX drainage program". The Philippine Star. PhilStar Daily, Inc. May 18, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  6. Beltran, Cito (November 3, 2008). "The cloverleaf of sinners". The Philippine Star. PhilStar Daily, Inc. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
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