Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard, also known simply as Magsaysay Boulevard and formerly as Santa Mesa Boulevard, is the principal artery of Santa Mesa in Manila, Philippines. It is a six-lane divided roadway that travels east–west from Gregorio Araneta Avenue near the city's border with Quezon City and San Juan to Lacson Avenue and the Nagtahan Interchange, close to the district of San Miguel. The entire length of the boulevard serves as the district boundary between Sampaloc in the north and Santa Mesa in the south, with the LRTA's Line 2 running along its median. East of Gregorio Araneta, the road continues as Aurora Boulevard, while west of Lacson, it extends as Legarda Street via Legarda Flyover into San Miguel and Quiapo.
 R-6  | |
|---|---|
| Magsaysay Boulevard | |
 On the eastbound lanes of Magsaysay Boulevard towards Pureza station | |
 The route of Magsaysay Boulevard in Metro Manila. Magsaysay Boulevard is highlighted in red. | |
| Former name(s) | Calle Santa Mesa Santa Mesa Boulevard |
| Namesake | Ramon Magsaysay |
| Length | 2.2 km (1.4 mi) |
| Component highways | |
| Location | Manila and Quezon City |
| West end |   N140 (A.H. Lacson Avenue / Nagtahan Street) / N180 (Legarda Street) / J.P. Laurel Street in Manila |
| Major junctions | |
| East end |  N130 (Gregorio Araneta Avenue) / N180 (Aurora Boulevard) in Quezon City |
The LRTA Line 2 system has two stations along Magsaysay, namely Pureza and V. Mapa. It is also served by the Santa Mesa railway station near the Polytechnic University of the Philippines campus on Hipodromo and Anonas Streets.
The boulevard was named after the seventh president of the Philippines, Ramon Magsaysay. It was formerly called Santa Mesa Boulevard, which in turn was formerly called Calle Santa Mesa.[1]
Route description
editMagsaysay Boulevard is an all-divided road that starts as a continuation of Legarda Street past Lacson Avenue and Nagtahan Street, both components of Circumferential Road 2 (C-2), at Nagtahan Interchange. Line 2 of the LRTA follows wholly the length of the road, with two stations built above. The road has numerous traffic light intersections and side streets throughout its length. Major establishments, like the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Sogo Grand Hotel, and SM City Santa Mesa (formerly SM Centerpoint), lie around or near the road.
History
editThe boulevard traces its origin to an old road named Calle Santa Mesa, which would later be known as Santa Mesa Boulevard, and a short segment leading to Calle Santol (now Santol Street).[1] It also formed part of Highway 53.[2] The road, now known as Old Santa Mesa Street, was part of the original Calle Santa Mesa, up to the San Juan Bridge, wherein what is now the current alignment of Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard was later extended from Santol Street to Quezon City.[3][4] Its present-day section between Nagtahan and Old Santa Mesa Road was also the former right-of-way of tranvia until 1945.[5]
In 1972, the R. Magsaysay Bridge II was built along the boulevard to facilitate the passage of vehicles crossing over the Philippine National Railways tracks. It was later decommissioned in 2022 to make way for the NLEX Connector, which would cross between the boulevard's ground level and the elevated LRTA tracks.[6] The Connector's interchange with the boulevard opened on October 28, 2023.[7]
The construction of the second line of the LRTA system began in 1997, with the boulevard being one of its routes. The segment was later opened to train operations in 2004.[8]
Intersections
edit| Province | City/Municipality | km[9] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manila | 4.205 | 2.613 | Nagtahan Interchange; traffic light intersection; continues westward as | ||
| East end of Nagtahan Interchange | |||||
| M. Francisco Street | Westbound only | ||||
| Valencia Street | Eastbound only | ||||
| M. Dela Rosa Street | Westbound only | ||||
| Marzan Street | Westbound only | ||||
| Vicente Cruz Street | Westbound only | ||||
| 4.111 | 2.554 | R. Magsaysay Bridge I over Estero de Valencia | |||
| De Dios Street | Eastbound only | ||||
| D. Ampil Street | Eastbound only | ||||
| Pureza Street | Traffic light intersection; access to Polytechnic University of the Philippines | ||||
| Maganda Street | Westbound only | ||||
| Algeria Street | Westbound only | ||||
| Fortuna Street | Eastbound only | ||||
| Hipodromo Street | Eastbound only | ||||
| Paltok Street | Westbound only | ||||
| 4.935– 5.135 | 3.066– 3.191 | R. Magsaysay Bridge II over the PNR Metro South Commuter Line (1972–2022; demolished) | |||
| NLEX Connector – Tarlac, C-3, Port of Manila | R. Magsaysay Exit of NLEX Connector | ||||
| D. Santiago Street | Westbound only | ||||
| Altura Street | Unsignaled intersection; access to PNR Santa Mesa Station | ||||
| Old Santa Mesa Street | Traffic light intersection. Former alignment of Santa Mesa Boulevard. | ||||
| Santol Street | Traffic light intersection. Former eastern terminus. | ||||
| Guadalcanal Street | Eastbound only | ||||
| 5.818 | 3.615 | Traffic light intersection | |||
| Hotel Sogo Santa Mesa Access Road | Eastbound only; access to Hotel Sogo Santa Mesa | ||||
| Sociego Street | Westbound only | ||||
| Baldovino Street | Eastbound only | ||||
| Manila – Quezon City boundary | North Manila–Quezon City 2nd boundary | ||||
| Quezon City | SM City Santa Mesa Access Road | Eastbound only; access to SM City Santa Mesa | |||
| 6.306 | 3.918 | Traffic light intersection; continues eastward as | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Alcazaren, Paulo (June 30, 2012). "Sta. Mesa: Manila's northeastern edge". PhilStar.com. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
- ^ Manila, Philippines map (Map). American Red Cross Service Bureau. August 1945. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
- ^ Table and Pocket Map Guide City of Manila (Map). J.M. Azucena Publishing. 1960. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
- ^ Map of city of Manila and vicinity (Map). 1:10560. Manila?: Office of Dept. Engineer, Phil. Dept. 1919. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ City of Manila, Philippine Island (Map). 1:11000. Manila: John Bach. 1920. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
- ^ Amojelar, Darwin (October 20, 2022). "Manila's Magsaysay Flyover to make way for NLEX Connector". Manila Standard. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
- ^ Yu, Lance Spencer (October 27, 2023). "NLEX Connector España-Magsaysay section to open October 28". Rappler. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
- ^ Bergonia, Allan (October 28, 2004). "Line 2 Recto Station Opens". People's Journal. Archived from the original on March 8, 2005. Retrieved June 28, 2024 – via lrta.gov.ph.
- ^ "North Manila". 2016 DPWH data. Department of Public Works and Highways. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2017.