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The MacArthur Highway, officially the Manila North Road (MNR or MaNor), is a 685-kilometer (426 mi), two-to-six lane, national primary highway and tertiary highway in Luzon, Philippines, connecting Caloocan in Metro Manila to Aparri in Cagayan at the north. It is the second longest road in the Philippines, after the Pan-Philippine Highway. It is primarily known as MacArthur Highway in segments from Caloocan to Urdaneta, Pangasinan,[2] although it is also applied up to Ilocos Sur[3] and called Manila North Road for the entire length.[1]

Quick Facts Route information, Length ...
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R-9
MacArthur Highway
Manila North Road
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MacArthur Highway in San Fernando, Pampanga
Route information
Maintained by the Department of Public Works and Highways
Length684.855 km[1] (425.549 mi)
Component
highways
  • R-9 R-9 in Metro Manila
  • N1 from Caloocan to Guiguinto
  • N2 from Guiguinto to Laoag
  • AH 26 (N1) from Laoag to Aparri
Major junctions
South end AH 26 (N1) (Bonifacio Monument Circle) in Caloocan
Major intersections
North endBarangay Mabanguc, Aparri, Cagayan
Location
CountryPhilippines
Regions
Provinces
Major cities
Towns
Highway system
  • Roads in the Philippines
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Route description

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The highway with the N2 reassurance marker in Malolos, Bulacan

Manila North Road is a toll-free, two- to eight-lane national road that stretches for 684.855 kilometers (425.549 mi) from the Bonifacio Monument (Monumento) Circle in Caloocan, north of Manila, to the northern province of Cagayan, passing through three cities in Metro Manila (Caloocan, Malabon, and Valenzuela), three provinces of Central Luzon (Bulacan, Pampanga and Tarlac), four provinces of the Ilocos Region (Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur, and Ilocos Norte), and the province of Cagayan in the Cagayan Valley region.[4] The highway parallels the North Luzon Expressway from Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) to Mabalacat, the Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway from Mabalacat to Tarlac City, and the Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway from Tarlac City to Rosario.

The entire road consists of a series of route numbering systems by the Department of Public Works and Highways. From Caloocan to Guiguinto and from Laoag to Aparri, it is the component of National Route 1 (N1) of the Philippine highway network, although N1 is not signposted in the first part of the highway; the latter section is also part of the Pan-Philippine Highway or Asian Highway 26 (AH26) of the Asian highway network. The rest of the route from Guiguinto to Laoag is entirely designated as the National Route 2 (N2) of the Philippine highway network. Particularly its section in Metro Manila, it is also a component of R-9 of Manila's arterial road network. Its remaining section in Aparri is classified as an unnumbered, tertiary road.

Alternative names

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The highway in San Fernando, La Union, locally known as Quezon Avenue

Manila North Road's section from Caloocan to Urdaneta, Pangasinan is officially recognized as MacArthur Highway,[5] although it is also known as such in La Union and Ilocos Sur.[3] Its section that forms part of N1/AH26 from Laoag to Aparri is also known as Maharlika Highway and part of Laoag–Allacapan Road.[6]

Through the city proper of San Fernando, La Union, the road is locally known as Quezon Avenue. In Laoag, it forms part of Laoag–Paoay Road between Laoag Airport Road and at the city proper, it is locally known as J.P. Rizal Avenue and Gen. Segundo Avenue, respectively.[1]

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History

The highway was built in sections beginning in 1928 during the American colonial period.[7] It followed much of the route of the old Manila Railroad line from Manila to Dagupan. It was designated Highway 3 or Route 3 in early U.S. military records.[8] It also reached south up to Manila through the present-day alignment of Rizal Avenue (Route 3A); the highway's section from Caloocan to Valenzuela (formerly Polo) was once part of Rizal Avenue Extension.[2] However, Highway 3 had different alignments: in Valenzuela, it used a route still existing today in barangay Malanday; in Bulacan, it went along the Maharlika Highway and Pulilan Regional Road from Guiguinto to Calumpit via Pulilan;[9][10] in San Fernando and Angeles, Pampanga, it is known as the Old Manila North Road; and in Paniqui, Tarlac, it followed Paniqui Poblacion Road.[1][10][11][12] New alignments were eventually developed, forming the present-day Manila North Road, which, by the 1950s, extended to Aparri in Cagayan, incorporating the former Cagayan–Ilocos Norte Road.[4][2][13]

On June 17, 1961, the section of the Manila North Road from Caloocan to Urdaneta, alongside the western road that leads to Lingayen, was renamed MacArthur Highway in honor of the Liberator of the Philippines during World War II, General Douglas MacArthur.[5][8]

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Intersections

Metro Manila

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Karuhatan Interchange in Valenzuela, where the highway intersects with NLEX Harbor Link

Bulacan

Pampanga

Tarlac

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The highway in Tarlac City

Pangasinan

La Union

Ilocos Sur

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Amburayan Bridge at the La Union–Ilocos Sur boundary

Ilocos Norte

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Patapat Viaduct in Pagudpud carries Manila North Road's section that is the second part of N1 but with the AH26 concurrency.

Cagayan

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See also

References

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