España Boulevard

España Boulevard is an 8–lane major thoroughfare in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, named after Spain, the country that formerly held the Philippines as an overseas territory. True to its name, several Spanish names abound the street. It starts at the Welcome Rotonda at the boundary of Quezon City and Manila and ends with a Y-intersection with Lerma and Nicanor Reyes Streets in Manila.

España Boulevard

R-7
España Boulevard view north from the Morayta footbridge
NamesakeSpain
Length2.048 km (1.273 mi)
Component
highways
Northeast endWelcome Rotonda in Quezon City
Major
junctions
Southwest end N170 (Lerma Street) / Nicanor Reyes Street in Sampaloc, Manila
Construction
Construction start1913

History

España Boulevard during its usual afternoon rush hour traffic.
Aerial view near The University Belt

Before becoming what it is today, the boulevard was a part of the Hacienda de Sulucan, one of the ten barrios which formed Sampaloc. In 1694, the hacienda was donated to the sisters of the Monasterio de Santa Clara. In 1905, it was turned over to the Sulucan Development Corporation. The road was constructed in 1913 as an access road to Sulucan, under the condition that it be named "España".[1]

Notable landmarks

España Boulevard near University of Santo Tomas
The Welcome Rotonda, also called the Mabuhay Rotonda

España is an east–west artery of Manila. It connects Lerma and Nicanor Reyes (formerly Morayta) streets of Sampaloc district at the west end to the Mabuhay (or Welcome) Rotonda, Quezon City at the east end. The entire street is straddled by a center island, which is only broken at major intersections and at the railroad crossing. Vehicles are allowed to make a left-turn only on two intersections: southward to Lacson Avenue and at the western terminus going to Nicanor Reyes Street. España is two kilometers long.

España's north side is its west-bound (Manila-bound) side, while the south side is its east-bound (Quezon City-bound) side. Buses, taxis, jeepneys, cabriolets, and UV Express vehicles serve the commuters.

Quezon City

At the eastern terminus is the Welcome Rotonda, also called the Mabuhay Rotonda, which connects España with Quezon Avenue, Eulogio Rodriguez, Sr. Avenue, and Mayon Avenue. Quezon Avenue leads to EDSA and ultimately to the Quezon Memorial Circle. E. Rodriguez, Sr. Avenue leads to Cubao district of Quezon City, a popular shopping place. Mayon Avenue leads to A. Bonifacio Avenue and ultimately to the North Luzon Expressway.

Manila

The first major intersection is Blumentritt Road. The Philippine National Railways tracks crosses the boulevard between Antipolo and Algeciras streets. The España railway station is also located here. Between Lacson Avenue and Padre Noval Street is the main campus of the University of Santo Tomas.

España ends at the junction of Nicanor Reyes (formerly called Morayta) and Lerma Streets. Nicanor Reyes Street leads to Claro M. Recto Avenue while Lerma Street, on the other hand, leads to Quezon Boulevard.

Notable events and trivia

España is infamous for its floods during the rainy season. This is because it serves as a catch basin for runoff water from higher elevated Quezon City, as Sampaloc used to be a swamp-marsh area. It is common to find people wading in waist-deep floods especially when a typhoon passes through Manila, causing suspension of classes.[2]

Fernando Poe, Jr.'s funeral procession passed through España on its way to Manila North Cemetery from Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City. As many 3 million people took part in the procession.[3]

A new mass-transit line has been planned several times to cross España, the first one being called as MRT-4, also called by some as the Red Line.[4] The said MRT line will traverse the Boulevard until it reaches San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan which has been shelved in favor of MRT-7 line that diverted and cut short the terminus at North Avenue. After the MRT-7 proposal was awarded, the plans were revived to create a separate line for the remainder of the alignment from the original MRT-4 proposal that the MRT-7 left out which was named MRT-9 that was envisioned to traverse from Lerma to North Avenue. Subsequently, this was again shelved in favor of a BRT line that traverses from Lerma to UP Diliman but was again shelved now in favor of an unsolicited proposal put up by PNR and Alloy MTD using the same remaining MRT-4 and BRT alignment with the working project name "PNR East-West Rail" and is believed to be officially numbered Line 8, should the proposal push through.

The boulevard will also provide access to the under-construction North Luzon Expressway#NLEX Connector (NLEX–SLEX Connector Road) via España Exit.[5] The said extension will traverse over the Philippine National Railway (PNR) tracks from NLEX Harbor Link in Caloocan up to Skyway in Manila.

The house of the longest serving Mayor of Manila, Ramon Bagatsing, is in Kundiman Street, on the boulevard's north side. Many people used to flock to his residence as it was open to all his constituents, becoming the de facto public service assistance center for Manila's poor and underprivileged. Today, the Bagatsing compound extends all the way to the parallel street of Craig.

España is also frequently used by anti-government protesters as a gathering area due to its proximity to Mendiola, which ends at Malacañan Palace, the presidential residence.[6]

Intersections

Intersections are numbered by kilometer post, with Rizal Park in Manila designated as kilometer zero. 

ProvinceCity/Municipalitykm[7]miDestinationsNotes
Quezon City N170 (Quezon Avenue), Mayon Avenue, E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue, Nicanor Ramirez StreetWelcome Rotonda. Goes to Quezon Memorial Circle via Quezon Avenue, New Manila & Cubao districts via E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue, La Loma & Sta. Mesa Heights districts via Mayon Avenue.
ManilaMacaraig StreetWestbound only.
Josefina Street
N161 (Blumentritt Road)Traffic light intersection. Access to A. Bonifacio Avenue.
Sisa Street
Instruccion Street
Basilio Street
Maceda (Washington) StreetTraffic light intersection.
Metrica Street
Craig Street
Kundiman Street
Eduardo Quintos Sr. Street
San Diego Street
Antipolo StreetRailroad crossing - PNR España Station.
Algeciras StreetRailroad crossing - PNR España Station.
Prudencio Street
Ruperto Cristobal Sr. (Constancia) Street
Miguelin Street
Vicente G. Cruz (Economia) StreetTraffic light intersection. One-way road.
J. Marzan Street
Manuel Dela Fuente (Trabajo) StreetTraffic light intersection. One-way road.
Maria Cristina Street
Don Quijote Street
Carola StreetEastbound only.
Dos Castillas Street
Earnshaw (Bustillos) StreetEastbound only. Access to San Miguel district via Legarda Street.
N140 (Arsenio H. Lacson Avenue)Traffic light intersection. Access to SM San Lazaro (northbound) and SLEX via Nagtahan Bridge, Legarda station via Earnshaw Street (southbound).
Valencia StreetEastbound only.
Extremadura StreetEastbound only.
Cayco StreetEastbound only.
42.5Quezon DriveWestbound only. University of Santo Tomas internal road.
Mariano Fortunato Jhocson StreetEastbound only.
Osmeña DriveWestbound only. University of Santo Tomas internal road.
Centro StreetEastbound only.
Moret StreetEastbound only.
Galicia StreetEastbound only.
Padre Noval StreetTraffic light intersection.
Eloisa StreetWestbound only.
Tolentino Street
Adelina StreetWestbound only.
Padre Campa Street
Paquita StreetWestbound only.
N170 (Lerma Street), Nicanor Reyes (Morayta) StreetTerminus. Access to Quiapo district via Quezon Boulevard; Recto Avenue & Divisoria via Nicanor Reyes Street.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. http://varsitarian.net/filipino/usapang_uste/20091022/kung_bakit_espa%C3%B1a_ang_tawag_sa_espa%C3%B1a_boulevard
  2. "8 dead as floods hit Luzon". Manila Bulletin. unavailable. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. "MASSIVE SECURITY FOR FPJ BURIAL". Philippine Headline News Online. December 22, 2004. Archived from the original on January 18, 2005.
  4. DOTC to review MRT 4 GOV.ph. Accessed July 25, 2006.
  5. Lopez, Melissa Luz (November 5, 2019). "Work begins for NLEX-SLEX Connector road". CNN Philippines.
  6. "Activists, cops clash near Malacañang; scores hurt". Sun Star Network Online. June 10, 2006. Archived from the original on June 22, 2006. Retrieved July 26, 2006.
  7. "Road and Bridge Inventory". Department of Public Works and Highways. Retrieved September 13, 2020.

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