Alabang–Zapote Road Explained

Marker Image:
Type:N
Route:411
Alabang–Zapote Road
Country:PHL
Alternate Name:Calle Real
Real Street
Zapote–Alabang Road
Image Notes:Alabang–Zapote Road in Las Piñas
Maint:Department of Public Works and Highways and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority
Length Km:10.9
Length Notes:Approximate length; including spur in Alabang
Direction A:West
Terminus A: in Bacoor
Junction:
    Direction B:East
    Terminus B: in Muntinlupa
    Previous Type:N
    Previous Route:410
    Next Type:N
    Next Route:413
    Regions:Metro Manila, Calabarzon
    Provinces:Cavite
    Cities:Bacoor, Las Piñas, and Muntinlupa

    Alabang–Zapote Road is a four-lane national road which travels east–west through the southern limits of Metro Manila, Philippines. It runs parallel to Dr. Santos Avenue in the north and is named for the two barangays that it links: Alabang in the city of Muntinlupa and Zapote in both the cities of Bacoor and Las Piñas.

    From its eastern terminus at an interchange with South Luzon Expressway's Alabang Exit, East Service Road, Manila South Road, and Montillano Street, the road runs westwards for approximately 10.9km (06.8miles) to the junction with Diego Cera Avenue. Since 1997, it also extends further west for several hundred meters connecting Las Piñas to its present terminus at Coastal Road (R-1) in Bacoor, Cavite.[1]

    The road carries more than 70,000 vehicles per day as of 2016, and suffers from traffic jams. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) listed Alabang–Zapote Road as a major traffic bottleneck point or choke point, and the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) or "number coding" scheme, is modified for the road to no longer include window hours.

    The entire route is designated as National Route 411 (N411) of the Philippine highway network.[2]

    Route description

    The road begins at the junction of Manila South Road (National Highway), Montillano Street, East Service Road, and South Luzon Expressway's Alabang Exit in Alabang, Muntinlupa, below the Alabang Viaduct and Skyway Extension. A spur carrying southbound traffic also branches the highway to the front of Starmall Alabang at Manila South Road. It then crosses into Filinvest City and Barangays Cupang and Ayala Alabang. In Filinvest City, the road is interrupted due to realignment brought out by its development. The gap is filled by a segment of Bridgeway Avenue between West Service Road and Spectrum Midway before resuming as short frontage roads parallel to Skyway's South Station Exit.

    West of Investment Drive (northern extension of Daang Hari Road) at Madrigal Business Park, it then enters Las Piñas and goes past the commercial and residential areas of the city. It then crosses Zapote River and enters the province of Cavite at Bacoor, where the road ends at the Bacoor Interchange of Coastal Road (CAVITEX). Electric power subtransmission lines by Meralco, placed on tall roadside posts, also shared by distribution lines, line almost the whole length of the road from Zapote in Las Piñas to Alabang in Muntinlupa and the proposed Las Piñas–Muntinlupa Expressway, which is worth .

    Traffic

    , the Las Piñas Traffic Management Office reported more than 70,000 vehicles travelling on Alabang–Zapote Road daily, that already reached above its allowable capacity.[3] The road gained notoriety for its traffic jams, and it is listed by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority as a major traffic bottleneck area in south Metro Manila, along with other major roads leading to Ninoy Aquino International Airport, like Sucat Road, Andrews Avenue, and Domestic Road.[4] The Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP), or the "coding" scheme, is modified for Alabang–Zapote Road to have no "window hours".[5]

    History

    Alabang–Zapote Road follows an old Spanish coastal trail that linked the Province of Manila to La Laguna and other southern provinces. It was called Calle Real (Spanish for "royal street") or Camino Real (Spanish for "royal way") which spanned from Ermita to Muntinlupa.[6] It was also designated as part of Highway 1 (especially during the American colonial era)[7] [8] and of Manila South Road, which spanned from Manila to Bicol Region.[9] [10] At present, only the road's section in Las Piñas and Muntinlupa is called Calle Real or Real Street as an alternative name for the road, while the rest of the route had been renamed to Del Pilar Street in Manila, Harrison Avenue in Pasay, Quirino Avenue in Parañaque, and Diego Cera Avenue in Las Piñas.

    The road was extended to the northwest towards Coastal Road in Bacoor in 1997 with the construction of the four-lane Alabang-Zapote Centennial Flyover (now Zapote Flyover) that was built as a solution to the increasing traffic volume along the road. Its section in Alabang, Muntinlupa, particularly between Filinvest and Bridgeway Avenues, was also realigned between 2006 and 2012 with the development of Filinvest Corporate City.

    Intersections

    Intersections in the list below are arranged by kilometer number, based on numbers on kilometer stones from Rizal Park in Manila, the Kilometer Zero.

    Spur

    References

    14.4367°N 121.0067°W

    Notes and References

    1. News: Flyover construction rushed for Christmas. Manila Standard. October 17, 2013. October 12, 1997.
    2. Web site: Road and Bridge Inventory. www.dpwh.gov.ph. July 6, 2020.
    3. News: Las Piñas LGU on traffic problem: moratorium on franchise issuance, Task Force Ayos Trapiko. Philippine Information Agency. Government of the Republic of the Philippines. July 18, 2016. May 17, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170124073309/http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/2561468813396/las-pi-as-lgu-on-traffic-problem-moratorium-on-franchise-issuance-task-force-ayos-trapiko. January 24, 2017. dead.
    4. News: Frialde. Mike. Traffic choke points in Metro Manila identified. The Philippine Star. Philstar. July 7, 2016. May 17, 2017.
    5. News: Ramirez. Robertzon. 18 roads added to coding scheme. The Philippine Star. Philstar. October 18, 2016. May 17, 2017.
    6. News: Rebirth of Taft Avenue. Manila Bulletin. October 17, 2013.
    7. Southern Luzon Western Sheet . 1941 . 1:200000 . US Geodetic Survey . Washington D.C. . August 21, 2021 .
    8. 1944 Army Map Service Road Map of Northern Luzon, Philippines . 1944 . 1:500000 . Army Map Service . Washington D.C. . August 21, 2021 .
    9. Web site: Annex "A" Scope of Work. JICA Report PDF. March 12, 1981. June 21, 2022.
    10. Establishing the Classification of Roads. EO. 113, s. 1955. May 2, 1955. June 21, 2022.