España Boulevard is an eight–lane major thoroughfare in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is named after Spain, the country that formerly held the Philippines as a colony for more than 300 years. True to its name, several Spanish names abound on the street. It starts at the Welcome Rotonda near the boundary of Quezon City and Manila and ends with a Y-intersection with Lerma and Nicanor Reyes Streets in Manila.
History
España Boulevard during its usual afternoon rush hour traffic Aerial view near the University Belt
Before becoming what it is today, the boulevard was a part of the Hacienda de Sulucan, one of the ten barrios which formed Sampaloc. In 1694, the hacienda was donated to the sisters of the Monasterio de Santa Clara. In 1905, it was turned over to the Sulucan Development Corporation. The road was constructed in 1913 as an access road to Sulucan, under the condition of being named "España".[2]
The boulevard was once part of Quezon Boulevard, and it is part of the national road plan to connect the government center of Manila in Rizal Park to the proposed new capital on the Diliman estate.[3]
España Boulevard is an east–west artery in Manila. It connects Lerma and Nicanor Reyes (formerly Morayta) streets of Sampaloc district at the west end to the Mabuhay (or Welcome) Rotonda, Quezon City at the east end. The entire street is straddled by a center island, only broken at major intersections and the railroad crossing. Vehicles can make a left-turn only on two intersections: southward to Lacson Avenue and at the western terminus to Nicanor Reyes Street. España Boulevard is 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) long.
España Boulevard's north side is westbound (Manila-bound), while the south side is eastbound (Quezon City-bound). Buses, taxis, jeepneys, cabriolets, and UV Express vehicles serve commuters.
Quezon City
At the eastern terminus is the Welcome Rotonda, also called the Mabuhay Rotonda, which connects España Boulevard with Quezon Avenue, Eulogio Rodriguez, Sr. Avenue, and Mayon. Quezon Avenue leads to EDSA and ultimately to the Quezon Memorial Circle. E. Rodriguez, Sr. Avenue leads to the Cubao district of Quezon City, a popular shopping place. Mayon leads to A. Bonifacio Avenue and ultimately to the North Luzon Expressway.
Manila
The first major intersection is Blumentritt Road. The Philippine National Railways tracks cross the boulevard between Antipolo and Algeciras streets. The España railway station is also located here. Between Lacson Avenue and Padre Noval Street is the main campus of the University of Santo Tomas.
España Boulevard ends at the junction of Nicanor Reyes (formerly called Morayta) and Lerma Streets. Nicanor Reyes Street leads to Claro M. Recto Avenue, while Lerma Street, on the other hand, leads to Quezon Boulevard.
Notable events
España Boulevard is infamous for its floods during the rainy season. This is because it serves as a catch basin for runoff water from higher-elevated Quezon City, as Sampaloc was a swamp marsh area. It is common to find people wading in waist-deep floods, especially when a typhoon passes through Manila, causing class suspensions.[4]
On August 31, 1983, Marcos opposition figure and former senator Benigno Aquino Jr.'s funeral procession passed through España on its way to Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque from Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City. It was joined by millions of Filipinos.[5]Fernando Poe, Jr.'s funeral procession also passed through España on its way to Manila North Cemetery from the same church on December 22, 2004. As many as 3 million people took part in the funeral procession.[6]
A new mass-transit line has been planned several times to cross España Boulevard, the first one being called MRT-4.[7] The said MRT line would traverse the boulevard until it reaches San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan, which has been shelved in favor of the MRT-7 line that diverted and cut short the terminus at North Avenue. After the MRT-7 proposal was awarded, the plans were revived to create a separate line for the remainder of the alignment from the original MRT-4 proposal that the MRT-7 left out, which was named MRT-9 that was envisioned to traverse from Lerma to North Avenue. Subsequently, this was again shelved in favor of a BRT line that traverses from Lerma to UP Diliman but was again shelved now in favor of an unsolicited proposal put up by PNR and Alloy MTD using the same remaining MRT-4 and BRT alignment with the working project name "PNR East-West Rail" and is believed to be officially numbered Line 8, should the proposal push through.
The boulevard also provides access to NLEX Connector (NLEX–SLEX Connector Road) via Antipolo Street onto España Exit.[8]
The house of the longest-serving Mayor of Manila, Ramon Bagatsing, is on Kundiman Street, on the boulevard's north side. Many people used to flock to his residence as it was open to all his constituents, becoming the de facto public service assistance center for Manila's poor and underprivileged. Today, the Bagatsing compound extends to the parallel Craig Street.
España is also frequently used by anti-government protesters as a gathering area due to its proximity to Mendiola, which ends at Malacañan Palace, the presidential residence.[9]
Intersections
Railroad crossing at España Boulevard, beneath NLEX Connector
Intersections are numbered by kilometer post, with Rizal Park in Manila designated as kilometer zero.
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