Jose P. Laurel Highway
Jose P. Laurel Highway is a, two-to-six lane, major highway running within the province of Batangas. The highway forms part of National Route 4 of the Philippine highway network. It is also known as Manila–Batangas Diversion Road in Santo Tomas, Manila–Batangas Road from its junction with General Malvar Street in Santo Tomas southwards, and Ayala Highway in Lipa.
The highway was named in honor of José Paciano Laurel, who served as the president of the Second Philippine Republic. Laurel was born in Tanauan, Batangas, through which the highway traverses.
Route description
Jose P. Laurel Highway starts at the Santo Tomas Junction, a roundabout with the Maharlika Highway and Governor Carpio Avenue in Santo Tomas, officially as the Manila–Batangas Diversion Road, which bypasses the Santo Tomas poblacion. It then merges with the old main route, officially known as the Manila–Batangas Road, and passes through the downtowns of Tanauan and Malvar. In Lipa, it bypasses the city proper as Ayala Highway before rejoining the old alignment. The highway continues south through San Jose, where it bypasses its town proper, and Batangas City, where it ends at Lawas Junction, its intersection with Palico–Balayan–Batangas Road and P. Burgos Street in the city proper.The Southern Tagalog Arterial Road mostly parallels the highway and crosses each other in Lipa and Batangas City.
History
Most of the highway traces its roots to the Manila–Batangas Road or Calamba–Batangas Road, which connects Calamba, Laguna, to the Batangas Bay coastline in the then-town of Batangas. Construction of the road began on October 1, 1900. By 1901, segments from Calamba to Tanauan and from the Batangas Bay to the Batangas poblacion have been completed. On March 20, 1903, the highway was completed when the segments between Tanauan and Batangas were opened. The road was designated as Highway 19 or Route 19 from Santo Tomas southwards, while the northern segment up to Calamba formed part of Highway 1 or Route 1, which would be eventually integrated to the Manila South Road and eventually the Pan-Philippine Highway.New alignments bypassing the downtowns of San Jose, Lipa, and Santo Tomas, respectively, were later built and made part of the present-day Jose P. Laurel Highway.