Behind The Posts: Quezon Ave-Araneta Ave Underpass

To make sure that my article Quezon Ave-Araneta Ave Underpass: Alternative Routes is accurate I've traveled to Blumentritt two times. First I got there by car, second I went there by public jeep.

There are a whole lot of informations on my post that contradicts the existing advisory on alternate routes that our authorities had laid out. Like when I said on my post that you can't turn left on Dimasalang from Blumentritt, and I claimed that Quezon Boulevard is Alfonso Mendoza Street. They are all true.

The first time I drove there, I took the "Del Monte-A.Bonifacio-Blumentritt-Dimasalang" alternate route. In Blumentritt I just passed by Dimalang intersection because I noticed that all vehicles passing through it go towards Blumentritt from the other end and they turn left onto Blumentritt. The bulk of vehicles then turn left on Aurora Boulevard. I've decided to go with the traffic flow. I parked my car in a small street to the right of Aurora Boulevard to look around and observe what's going on in the intersection especially the large junction of Aurora Boulevard-Retiro-Maceda-Dimasalang. And so I've written all the things I saw on the road and the traffic condition on that area. They're all in complete details on my first post of Quezon Ave-Araneta Ave Underpass Alternative Routes. Then I headed towards Quiapo via Dimasalang and Laon Laan.

The second time I got there by jeepney, I got to see the road signs that read Alfonso Mendoza on intersection of Dapitan and the supposedly Quezon Boulevard as well as the other intersection in Laon Laan.

I also rode a jeepney with Blumentritt-Dimasalang sign at the corner of Laon Laan and Alfonso Mendoza streets. The jeep crossed Lacson Avenue but instead of taking Laon Laan's opposite side, the jeep turn left on Dimasalang Street which is diagonal to the left of Laon Laan.

The jeep drove on Dimasalang, passing through a flyover, then it crossed Aurora Boulevard and onto the opposite Dimasalang extension. It's here in the north corner of Aurora Boulevard and Dimasalang that the traffic becomes one way towards Blumentriitt. I've seen it, I passed through it and it's definitely one way going to Blumentritt.

I got off the jeepney as it turned left onto Blumentritt apparently to get back to Quiapo via Aurora Boulevard.

As I observed the entire stretch of Blumentritt from A. Bonifacio Avenue to Aurora Boulevard, these are the things I've noticed: Blumentritt is very wide from A. Bonifacio to Aurora Boulevard. It's one way from A. Bonifacio to Aurora Boulevard. Aside from A. Bonifacio, two other roads merge into it - first has the big arc with the words "La Loma Lechon Capital of the Philippines" on it, second is a narrow road which is actually still part of Blumentritt Street. Both La Loma and the narrow extension of Blumentritt is one way towards the wide Blumentritt. So, you can just imagine the volume of vehicles flowing through the wide Blumentritt. Chinese General Hospital's new annex building to the left of Blumentritt looks hippie. Another tall one is being built next to it. I just don't know if it's still part of Chinese General Hospital complex. Manila North Cemetery main gate which is situated alongside Chinese General Hospital old building, I think had undergone a major face-lift and refurbishing. As with the traffic flowing through Blumentritt towards Rizal Avenue, big volume of them ultimately go left on Aurora Boulevard, with few private cars go towards Isagani Street, not one cross Aurora Boulevard to take the other side, and with relatively few motorists turning right onto the northwest direction of Aurora Boulevard which is two way from Blumentritt to Rizal Avenue.

That's how I've created the post entitled Quezon Ave-Araneta Ave Underpass: Alternative Routes.