Plaridel Bypass Road

Plaridel Bypass Road is a 24.61 km national secondary road in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. Traversing agricultural lands, it bypasses the town propers of Plaridel (to which it is named after), Pulilan, Baliwag, and San Rafael and serves as an alternative route to the Pan-Philippine Highway.

The entire road is designated as National Route 247 (N247) of the Philippine highway network.

Route description
From the south, the two- to four-lane bypass road starts at Balagtas Exit of North Luzon Expressway in Barangay Borol, Balagtas. It turns north, bypassing the town propers of Plaridel, Pulilan, Baliwag, and San Rafael; it also traverses the town of Bustos. It ends at its intersection with Pan-Philippine Highway in Barangay Maasim, San Rafael.

History
The first phase of the road project, a 14-kilometer segment between NLEX and Plaridel, was opened in March 2012 and funded through Japan's official development assistance.

During the administration of President Benigno Aquino III, the road was initially planned to be a toll road named Plaridel Bypass Toll Road. However, it was revised to become an untolled road, which was later known as the Plaridel–San Rafael Bypass Road Project.

Construction of the road began in 2016, funded by a loan agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency. On April 30, 2018, Arterial Road Bypass Project Phase II was inaugurated. followed by the 10 km Phase 2 section from Balagtas to Bustos on May 5.

In March 2021, Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar inaugurated the widened Angat Bridge, Luzon’s longest river bridge across Angat River in Bustos, Bulacan.

Bongbong Marcos with Antonio Lagdameo Jr., Japanese Ambassador Kazuhiko Kashikawa, and Manuel Bonoan inaugurated the Arterial Road Bypass Project Phase III (Contract Package 4) on October 9, 2023. The road, with a cost of ₱5.26 billion, has been widened from two lanes to four. It includes the 318 m second San Rafael Flyover, while the 210 m first Bustos Flyover was opened on July 12, 2022). Construction of the third ₱227 million Guiguinto Flyover at Barangay Tiaong is already 70% complete as February 2024.