Commonwealth Avenue (Quezon City)


R-7
Commonwealth Avenue
Don Mariano Marcos Avenue
Killer Highway[1]
Map of Commonwealth Avenue in Metro Manila
Commonwealth Avenue, New Era, MRT-7 project (Quezon City; 03-20-2021).jpg
Commonwealth Avenue northbound near Iglesia ni Cristo Central Temple
Route information
Length12.712 km (7.899 mi)
Existed1960s–present
Component
highways
Major junctions
South end N170 (Elliptical Road)
Major intersections
North end N129 (Quirino Highway)
Location
CountryPhilippines
Major citiesQuezon City
Highway system
  • Roads in the Philippines

Commonwealth Avenue, formerly known as Don Mariano Marcos Avenue,[a] is a 12.4-kilometer (7.7 mi) highway located in Quezon City, Philippines, which spans from six to eighteen lanes and is the widest in the Philippines.[3] It is one of the major roads in Metro Manila and is designated as part of Radial Road 7 (R-7) of the older Manila arterial road system and National Route 170 (N170) of the Philippine highway network.

Commonwealth Avenue starts from Elliptical Road, which circumscribes the Quezon Memorial Circle, and it passes through the areas of Philcoa, Tandang Sora, Balara, Batasan Hills, Fairview, and ends at Quirino Highway in the Novaliches area.

The avenue, being located on Quezon City, which is listed as one of several cities in Metro Manila with high incidence of road accidents, has a high rate of accidents, especially related to overspeeding, and has gained the nickname "Killer Highway".[1] A 60-kilometer-per-hour (37 mph) speed limit is being enforced to reduce the high rate of accidents on the avenue.[4]

Route description

Commonwealth Avenue follows a curving route from Elliptical Road to Quirino Highway, which includes the section named Fairview Avenue. The main segment, south of its roundabout intersection with Doña Carmen Street called Fairview Rotonda, is characterized by partial control of access, where at-grade intersections are replaced with interchanges and U-turn slots, and pedestrian crossings placed on overpasses (or footbridges).

The segment has 18 lanes, with 9 lanes per direction, excluding the third-outermost lanes dedicated for motorcycles, second-outermost lanes dedicated for buses and jeepneys, and outermost lanes dedicated for bicycles. The exclusive motorcycle lane was put into effect as of March 2023 and restricts motorcycles to the third lane except when entering or exiting the highway.[5]

Fairview Avenue, which refers to the avenue's segment north of Fairview Rotonda, has 6 to 8 lanes with 3 to 4 lanes per direction, but intersections are mostly at-grade, usually with traffic lights.

Being located in Quezon City, which has a high number of road accidents, Commonwealth Avenue has a high incidence of accidents along with Quezon Avenue.[6] The number of accidents in the avenue have lend its known nickname, the "Killer Highway".[7]

Bicycle lanes

Cyclists using the bike lane along Commonwealth Avenue.

The outermost lanes of Commonwealth Avenue from Quezon Memorial Circle to Doña Carmen Avenue are designated as bi-directional bike lanes with plastic barriers and 0.6-meter (2.0 ft) buffer zones on both sides as part of Quezon City's bike lane network.[8][9] A portion of the bike lane also uses concrete plant boxes instead of plastic barriers, with the city planning to replace plastic barriers with plant boxes in the near future.[10]

Prior to the establishment of the city bike lane network during the COVID-19 pandemic, a bi-directional grade-separated bike lane was established by the MMDA in 2012 along a 2.92 kilometers (1.81 mi) segment of the highway from University Avenue to Tandang Sora.[11][12]

MRT Line 7

The Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT 7), which will connect with the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 at North Triangle Common Station, began construction in 2016.[13] Most of the alignment of the MRT 7 will follow the Center island of Commonwealth Avenue up to Regalado Highway.

History

Commonwealth Avenue in Tandang Sora in 2008, prior to the construction of the Commonwealth Avenue–C-5 flyover

Commonwealth Avenue is divided into two portions, the six-to eight-lane Fairview Avenue and the eighteen-lane Don Mariano Marcos Avenue. Don Mariano Marcos Avenue, named after Mariano Marcos, the father of President Ferdinand Marcos, was constructed in the late-1960s as a two-lane highway to offer a route from Quezon Memorial Circle to the new National Government Center (location of the present-day Batasang Pambansa Complex) at Constitution Hill.[14] Quezon City was then the capital of the Philippines and embassies were to be put up on the stretch of highway. Because the country's capital was moved back to Manila in 1976, other establishments were put up instead. Don Mariano Marcos Avenue was later renamed into two parts, Commonwealth Avenue and Quezon Avenue. Later, Commonwealth Avenue regained the eight-lane Fairview Avenue, which used to end near Jordan Plains Subdivision in Novaliches.

In the 1980s, the road was widened into a six-lane highway. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the avenue was prone to heavy traffic and accidents due to the increase in number of public transportation vehicles plying the highway, and sidewalk vendors crowding onto the road. In the late 2000s, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) cleared the sidewalk vendors, especially in the Tandang Sora area, which was prone to heavy rush hour traffic. Fairview Avenue uses stoplights and center island splittings at its intersections, while Don Mariano Marcos Avenue uses interchanges at its intersections.

The avenue is 18 lanes at its widest, and is the widest road in the Philippines, beating the old record set by EDSA.[3]

Linking to Quirino Highway

On October 1, 2009, Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. announced his 15-year-old plan to link Commonwealth Avenue and Quirino Highway at the cost of ₱20 million to ₱140 million, which would be adjacent to the Zabarte Road.[15] The project was completed in May 2011 and is already operational.[when?]

Speed limit implementation

In May 2011, a 60-kilometer-per-hour (37 mph) speed limit was implemented on Commonwealth Avenue following the death of Lourdes Estella-Simbulan, a journalist, in a road accident on the avenue. During the first week of its implementation, 120 violators were apprehended after speeds of over 60 kilometers per hour (37 mph) were recorded through speed guns.[16]

Intersections

The entire route is located in Quezon City. The list includes the section of the avenue named "Fairview Avenue". Kilometers are measured from Rizal Park, the Kilometer Zero. 

km[17][18]miDestinationsNotes
12.4917.762 N170 (Elliptical Road)Quezon Memorial Circle, southern terminus. Continues to Manila as Quezon Avenue.
Masaya StreetAccessible from southbound lanes via U-turn slot. Access to U.P. Village, Teachers Village and Kalayaan Avenue.
12.879–
13.051		8.003–
8.110		 N175 (University Avenue)Accessible from southbound lanes via U-turn slot. Access to University of the Philippines Diliman.
Central AvenueAccessible from northbound lanes via U-turn slot. Access to New Era University and Iglesia Ni Cristo Central Temple
Tandang Sora AvenueRight turns only. Flyover closed due to MRT Line 7 construction.
N129 (Luzon Avenue/C-5 Road)
Zuzuarregui StreetSouthern segment has access to Broadcast City
Holy Spirit Street, Capitol Homes DriveHoly Spirit Street intersection accessible from northbound lanes via U-turn slot. Capitol Homes Drive intersection accessible from southbound lanes via U-turn slot. Access to Ever Gotesco Commonwealth.
IBP RoadAccessible from southbound lanes via U-turn slot. Access to Batasang Pambansa on both ends. Access to Payatas Road and the municipality of Rodriguez (Montalban) at the northern end.
20.382–
20.682		12.665–
12.851		Doña Carmen StreetRoundabout. Access to Don Jose Heights. Name change from Commonwealth Avenue to Fairview Avenue. Change from 18-lane road to 6-lane road.
22.04113.696Regalado AvenueTraffic light intersection
23.24214.442Regalado HighwayTraffic light intersection. No left turns from southbound lanes. Access to SM City Fairview.
Mindanao AvenueTraffic light intersection
25.20315.660 N127 (Quirino Highway)Northern terminus.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Notes

  1. ^ Named after the father of President Ferdinand Marcos, Mariano Marcos.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Cayabyab, Marc Jayson (February 21, 2020). "C-5 Metro Manila's deadliest road – MMDA". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021. Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon city, tagged as "killer highway," came in second with 23 fatal road crashes, up from 10 deaths in 2018 and 17 in 2017.
  2. ^ "Should Commonwealth be renamed Eraño Manalo Ave?". Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Rey, Aika (December 23, 2015). "5 iconic roads in the Philippines". Rappler. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  4. ^ "MMDA Expands Coverage of 60-kph Speed Limit on Commonwealth Avenue". Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. February 26, 2013. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  5. ^ Galvez, Daphne (March 29, 2023). "MMDA: 2,302 drivers breached exclusive motorcycle lane along Commonwealth Ave in two days". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  6. ^ "QC, Manila, Makati record most road crashes - MMDA". Rappler. February 7, 2017. Archived from the original on May 24, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  7. ^ Abelgas, Gus (December 20, 2010). "Commonwealth Avenue a 'killer highway': police". ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on May 15, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  8. ^ Aguja, Argie (June 17, 2020). "Quezon City to set up bike lanes along Commonwealth Avenue". Wheels.ph. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  9. ^ Mangubat, Lio (January 8, 2021). "Quezon City bike lanes, explained". Spin.ph. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  10. ^ "Concrete Plant Box Barrier Installation". Quezon City Government. April 11, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  11. ^ Baluyot, Juju (February 4, 2016). "FIRST PERSON: When I tried biking around Quezon City". GMA Integrated News and Public Affairs. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  12. ^ "MMDA opens bike lane along Commonwealth". The Philippine Star. December 4, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  13. ^ "Construction of the MRT Line 7 begins". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. April 20, 2016. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  14. ^ Bueza, Michael (October 12, 2014). "What Quezon City could have looked like". Rappler. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  15. ^ "Manila Bulletin Online". Archived from the original on August 22, 2010. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
  16. ^ "Task group apprehends 120 speedsters in 6 days". Philippine Daily Inquirer. May 23, 2011. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  17. ^ "Quezon City 1st". 2016 DPWH Road Data. Department of Public Works and Highways. Archived from the original on November 30, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  18. ^ "Quezon City 2nd". 2016 DPWH Road Data. Department of Public Works and Highways. Archived from the original on December 2, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2017.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Commonwealth Avenue (Quezon City).

14°39′22″N 121°3′22″E / 14.65611°N 121.05611°E / 14.65611; 121.05611

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