MANILA - The Department of Public Works and Highways opened a new diversion road on Thursday to help decongest the Pulilan to Baliuag section of the Daang Maharlika Highway in Bulacan.

Aside from cutting travel time between the towns of Pulilan and Baliuag to just 30 minutes from 1 hour, the 9.6-kilometer Pulilan–Baliuag Diversion Road also features bike lanes.

“The main goal is not only to provide vehicular infrastructure but to help conserve [the] environment by promoting biking for transport and recreational use”, said Public Works Secretary Mark Villar.

Photos released by the DPWH showed painted signs on the rightmost lanes of the 4-lane highway identifying them as bike lanes and pedestrian walkways.

This was unlike the bike lane along the Laguna Lake Highway, which was protected by a 2-meter planting strip from the lanes used by motorized vehicles.

Villar said that the DPWH would push for the construction of more bypass roads nationwide to improve traffic flow and create new development opportunities.