N1 highway (Philippines)
The National Route 1 is a primary national route that forms part of the Philippine highway network, running from Luzon to Mindanao. Except for a gap in Metro Manila and ferry connections, the highway is generally continuous. Most sections of N1 forms the Pan-Philippine Highway except for sections bypassed by expressways.
Route description
N1 follows a route that runs from Laoag in Ilocos Norte to Zamboanga City via Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas and eastern parts of Mindanao. The highway connects most major regional centers on its route, and runs through different landscapes. The highway is mostly named Maharlika Highway, but other sections uses different names.Ilocos Region
N1 begins at Laoag, at the endpoint of Manila North Road in front of the Ilocos Norte Provincial Capitol. The highway then runs as a principal city street named General Segundo Avenue, which passes through the city proper and through its outskirts. Approaching Bacarra, it becomes a rural highway, lined with a 69,000 volt power line that feeds power from the Bangui Wind Farm. At Bacarra, it bypasses the town center to the north and runs through a rural area and then enters Pasuquin, where it serves as a major municipal street. Between Bacarra and Burgos, it becomes a rural two-lane highway that closely parallels a transmission line from Burgos Wind Farm and passes through interspersed barangays along the South China Sea coastline. It soon climbs the mountains upon approach to Burgos, where the highway directly serves the town. The highway zigzags through the rough terrain, and overlooks the beach where Bangui Wind Farm lies. It then passes through Bangui, where it runs as a major street on the town center, crosses Bulu River and enters Pagudpud, which it bypasses. N1 runs through the foothills that mark the edge of the Northern Luzon Cordillera and runs close to the coastline of Bashi Channel, where the highway zigzags through the cliffs through the Patapat Viaduct, a viaduct that is required for the highway to pass the steep cliffs marking the northern edge of the Luzon Cordillera.Cagayan Valley
In Cagayan province, N1 is known as the Bangag-Magapit Road from Aparri to Lal-lo and Cagayan Valley Road from Magapit Interchange in Lal-lo to Tuguegarao. It then enters the province of Isabela as Maharlika Highway.Central Luzon
Nueva Ecija
Bulacan
The highway soon enters Bulacan at San Miguel, where it begins on a straight route. It then enters the poblacion of San Miguel, which it bypasses, and the highway begins to curve through most of its length between San Ildefonso and San Rafael, where the route runs through rice paddies. It closely follows a transmission corridor between the San Miguel-San Ildefonso boundary and San Rafael, and a Meralco subtransmission line uses the highway on that portio. Plaridel Bypass Road intersects with Doña Remedios Trinidad Highway just before approaching the poblacion of San Rafael. The highway curves to the southwest near Baliuag, where the highway is known as Doña Remedios Trinidad Highway, while the old Cagayan Valley Road enters Baliuag. It serves as a bypass of Baliuag, with a flyover built on the intersection with another national road leading to Candaba. A Meralco subtransmission line follows the highway again up to Pulilan, where it leaves to follow Pulilan Bypass and Pulilan Regional Road. At Pulilan, it serves as a principal route through the town center. At Guiguinto, it crosses the North Luzon Expressway along with an interchange. It soon crosses the original route of NLEX at Barangay Tabang, where it also crosses the Philippine National Railways right of way. N1 begins to follow MacArthur Highway, which serves as a major toll-free highway over southern Bulacan. It soon enters Balagtas, where it directly passes through its poblacion. It soon crosses the Bigaa River, where it passes through residential and industrial areas, and curves upon entrying Bocaue, where it bypasses the town center. A flyover restricted for use by light vehicles crosses Fortunato Halili Avenue to Santa Maria, and service roads serve as frontage and heavy vehicle routes. The highway then curves, then, runs through the residential barangays of Bocaue and soon enters Marilao and Meycauayan.Metro Manila
Valenzuela to Pasay
Entering Metro Manila, the highway follows MacArthur Highway over Valenzuela, which runs on a four to six-lane highway up to the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan. N1 then turns east to follow the whole EDSA to Pasay. The whole road is notorious for congestion which cause delays as well as economic losses in the metropolis. EDSA runs through the central business districts of Metro Manila, most notably Araneta Center, Ortigas Center, and Makati Central Business District. The Manila Line 3 and the Manila Line 1 extension utilizes the center island of EDSA on most segments between Caloocan and Pasay. N1 ends below the EDSA Flyover at Roxas Boulevard in Pasay. A gap in the highway is filled by the South Luzon Expressway and Skyway between Makati and Muntinlupa. It would have been filled by Taft Avenue Extension, starting from EDSA, going southwards via Quirino and Diego Cera Avenues and ends at Maharlika Highway below Alabang Viaduct through Alabang-Zapote Road, if only they were not renumbered from N1. N1 was previously designated to Rizal, Taft, Quirino and Diego Cera Avenues and Alabang-Zapote Road, based on the old route numbering system, before their N1 number designations were decommissioned and replaced with their respective route numbers.Muntinlupa
N1 starts again below the Alabang Viaduct in Alabang, Muntinlupa, where it intersects with South Luzon Expressway, Alabang–Zapote Road, and Montillano Street. The highway assumes the name Maharlika Highway, Manila South Road, or locally, National Road. It runs as a commercial artery through the city until the boundary with Laguna in San Pedro over the Tunasan River.Calabarzon
San Pedro-Calamba
N1 generally serves as a four-lane toll-free highway serving the suburban cities of northwestern Laguna alongside the toll South Luzon Expressway. Most sections of N1 between San Pedro and Calamba serve as commercial streets. It is mostly lined by high voltage sub-transmission lines owned by Meralco, which are placed along the highway for economic and accessibility reasons. Most of N1 is four lane with a painted median divider.It enters Laguna in San Pedro, where it serves as a major commercial street, with a maximum of four lanes. At Biñan, it intersects N65 in a traffic light intersection west of the poblacion.