Circumferential Road 3

Circumferential Road 3 (C-3), informally known as the C-3 Road, is a network of roads and bridges that all together form the third beltway of Metro Manila in the Philippines.[1] Spanning some 14.93 kilometers (9.28 mi), it connects the cities of Caloocan, Makati, Navotas, Pasay, Quezon City, and San Juan.

C-3
Circumferential Road 3
C-3 Road
C-3_Road_(5th_Avenue)_in_Caloocan.jpg
C-3 (5th Avenue) westbound in Caloocan
Route information
Maintained by the Department of Public Works and Highways and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority
Length14.93 km (9.28 mi)
Excluding Metro Manila Skybridge
Component
highways
Major junctions
North end AH 26 (N120) (Radial Road 10) in Navotas
South end AH 26 (N120) (Roxas Boulevard) in Pasay
Location
CountryPhilippines
Major citiesCaloocan, Makati, Navotas, Pasay, Quezon City, and San Juan
Highway system
  • Roads in the Philippines

History edit

The development of a major road network in Manila was first conceived in the Metropolitan Thoroughfare Plan of 1945, predicting that the metropolis in the 1940s will expand further to the shorelines of Laguna de Bay. The plan proposed the laying of circumferential roads 1 to 6 and radial roads 1 to 10.[2]

Metro Manila Skybridge edit

The Metro Manila Skybridge was a proposed six-lane elevated expressway that could have formed the missing link of C-3 between G. Araneta Avenue in Quezon City and South Avenue in Makati with several interchanges.[3][4]

The project was cancelled due to the Skyway Stage 3 project occupying the portion of the San Juan River located on the boundaries of Manila, Mandaluyong, San Juan, and Quezon City, which could have been utilized to establish the road link to the next segment of the road system. Currently, no other methods nor proposals have been raised to complete the road link.[4][5]

Route description edit

C-3 Road edit

 
C-3 Road beneath Caloocan Interchange

C-3 Road is the portion of C-3 from R-10 in Navotas to Baltazar Street, located past the Philippine National Railways railroad crossing and the Caloocan Interchange of the NLEX Harbor Link and Connector projects in Caloocan.

5th Avenue edit

 
Westbound lane of 5th Avenue in Grace Park East, looking east

Past Baltazar Street, C-3 becomes 5th Avenue, a six-lane, two-way traffic roadway from Caloocan to A. Bonifacio Avenue in Quezon City. Prior to its expansion, this roadway was a two-lane, one-way traffic roadway eastwards. The expansion aimed to accommodate and connect C-3 Road (east) and C-3 Road (west) to both eastbound and westbound traffic. Being the fifth avenue running east–west from the city's border with Manila in the south, it passes through the areas of Grace Park West, Grace Park East, and Barrio San Jose, as well as the northern boundary of La Loma Cemetery, in Caloocan before entering Quezon City.

Sergeant Rivera Avenue edit

After crossing A. Bonifacio Avenue, C-3 becomes Sgt. Rivera Avenue, a main road in Quezon City with six lanes. Skyway's alignment over C-3 begins at this road. It becomes G. Araneta after turning southwards after its intersection with Santo Domingo Avenue. Oftentimes, the names G. Araneta and Sgt. Rivera are interchangeably used by people in this segment of the C-3.

Gregorio Araneta Avenue edit

 
Gregorio Araneta Avenue

C-3 becomes G. Araneta Avenue after turning southwards after its intersection with Santo Domingo Avenue up to where it is cut short in San Juan, where it terminates with N. Domingo Street. This area of C-3 is well known for its big funeral parlors such as Arlington and La Funeraria Paz, and SM City Sta. Mesa. It is also considered to be a flood-prone area as the lowest area in the C-3 network (the other is the area where it crosses with Aurora Boulevard). The Talayan Creek also runs along the road median from Toctokan Street to Quezon Avenue and is notorious for overflowing during the rainy season.

South Avenue edit

 
South Avenue

C-3 continues in Makati as South Avenue. It is a major north–south thoroughfare that runs from J.P. Rizal Avenue to Metropolitan Avenue. It passes through the western boundary of the Manila South Cemetery. However, it carries one-way northbound traffic since 2017.[6] After passing through Metropolitan Avenue, C-3 becomes Ayala Avenue Extension.

Ayala Avenue Extension edit

Ayala Avenue Extension is the northern extension of Ayala Avenue, a major thoroughfare in Makati that passes through the heart of the Makati Central Business District, the economic and financial hub of the Philippines, towards Metropolitan Avenue. It forms the boundary of barangays San Antonio and Bel-Air. It begins as a continuation of South Avenue at Metropolitan Avenue, and ends at Gil Puyat Avenue, where the extension continues south as Ayala Avenue towards EDSA and McKinley Road.

Gil Puyat Avenue edit

 
Gil Puyat Avenue

At the junction with Ayala Avenue, C-3 continues by turning west to Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue up to Roxas Boulevard in Pasay. Along with South Avenue and Ayala Avenue, it passes through the area of the Makati Central Business District. South Luzon Expressway can be accessed through its junction with it. Several provincial bus stations can also be found at its junction with Taft Avenue in Pasay.

References edit

  1. ^ "Metro Manila Infrastructure Development" (PDF). University of the Philippines Diliman. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "PH, JICA prepares new Metro Manila road network development plan" (PDF). Wallace Business Forum – Philippine Analyst. July 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 26, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  3. ^ "The Official Website of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority". Archived from the original on July 10, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Melican, Nathaniel R. (July 1, 2012). "Metro mayors okay 'Skybridge' project". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  5. ^ Amojelar, Darwin G. (March 12, 2020). "SMC completes 'new' bridge over San Juan River". Manila Standard. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  6. ^ Zurbano, Joel (June 22, 2017). "Makati changes CBD traffic route". Manila Standard. Archived from the original on June 23, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2020.