Mel Lopez Boulevard

Mel Lopez Boulevard is a 6.2-kilometer (3.9 mi), six-to-ten lane divided highway in northern Manila, Philippines, connecting Bonifacio Drive in Port Area in the south with Radial Road 10 (R-10) in Navotas in the north. The highway is the main component of the R-10 network and is an extension of Bonifacio Drive and Roxas Boulevard (Radial Road 1 or R-1) north of the Anda Circle running north–south through the Manila North Port area serving the coastal Tondo and Navotas communities.

Mel Lopez Boulevard
Marcos Road
Radial Road 10
The boulevard near Smokey Mountain
Route information
Auxiliary route of AH26
Maintained by Department of Public Works and Highways and Metro Manila Development Authority
Length6.2 km (3.9 mi)
Component
highways
  • R-10 R-10 from Estero de Marala to Roxas Bridge
  • R-1 R-1 from Roxas Bridge to Anda Circle
  • N120 / AH26
Major junctions
North endEstero de Marala in Tondo
  N140 (Capulong Street)
Moriones Street
N145 (Recto Avenue)
South endAnda Circle in Port Area and Intramuros
Location
Major citiesManila
Highway system
  • Roads in the Philippines

History

Radial Road 10 was built on reclaimed land called Tondo Foreshoreland, reclaimed in the 1950s as part of a government plan to expand and improve port facilities in Manila. It soon became the resettlement site of thousands of urban poor families that turned the area into what was once Southeast Asia's largest squatter colony.[1] The road itself was constructed between 1976 and 1979 as part of the Manila Urban Development Project of the Marcos administration, and was initially named Marcos Road.[2]

In January 2017, a bill was filed by Buhay Party-List Representative and former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza in the Philippine House of Representatives changing the name of this portion of Radial Road 10 to Mayor Gemiliano Lopez Boulevard in honor of the late Manila Mayor Mel Lopez.[3] In April 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11280, officially renaming the highway to Mel Lopez Boulevard.[4][5]

Route
Housing developments at the former Smokey Mountain landfill

Mel Lopez Boulevard originates at Anda Circle at the intersection of Andres Soriano Avenue, Bonifacio Drive, and Roberto Oca Street as a continuation of Bonifacio Drive (formerly Malecon Drive) in Port Area. It crosses the Pasig River via Roxas Bridge and comes into an intersection with Recto Avenue at the boundaries of San Nicolas and Tondo districts. The boulevard then heads northwest toward Pier 4 of the Manila North Harbor before bending north into the Moriones and Don Bosco villages of Tondo. The road passes east of the entire Manila North Port terminal complex and leaves Barrio Magsaysay for Barrio Vitas past Capulong Street. Continuing north, it soon crosses over the Estero de Vitas (Vitas Creek) and enters the Balut area of Tondo where the old dumpsite of Smokey Mountain is located. The boulevard terminates at the Estero de Marala (Estero de Sunog Apog) bridge.

North of the estero, Mel Lopez Boulevard extends into the reclaimed fish port complex of Navotas running parallel to North Bay Boulevard as Radial Road 10 (R-10). R-10 terminates at Bangkulasi Bridge over the Bangkulasi Channel before the road turns east as Circumferential Road 4 (C-4), which heads to Malabon and Caloocan.

Landmarks
Moriones Gate of the Manila North Harbor

References
  1. Case Study: Zoto and the twice-told story of Philippine community organizing published by the University of the Philippines Diliman; accessed 2013-12-18.
  2. Presidential Decree No. 931 published by The Lawphil Project; accessed 2013-12-18.
  3. "House Bill No. 4737" (PDF). House of Representatives of the Philippines. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  4. "Road in Manila renamed to honor late sportsman and politician Mel Lopez". BusinessWorld. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  5. "Republic Act No. 11280". Official Gazette (Philippines). Retrieved 31 July 2019.

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