Quezon Boulevard
Quezon Boulevard is a short stretch of highway in Manila, Philippines, running north–south through the district of Quiapo. It is a six- to ten-lane divided boulevard designated as a component of National Route 170 of the Philippine highway network, except for its service roads, and Radial Road 8 of Manila's arterial road network, which links the center of Manila to North Luzon Expressway in Quezon City in the north. The boulevard is the main access to the popular Quiapo Church and is one of the main thoroughfares of the University Belt area. It is named after former Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon.
History
The origin of the boulevard could be traced back to two parallel streets, Calle Santa Rosa and Calle Concepcion, that terminated at Estero de Curtidor, as well as Calle P. Blanco and the old sections of Calle Norzagaray and Calle Globo de Oro at the south. In the early 1900s, Calle Santa Rosa and Calle Concepcion were renamed Calle Regidor and Calle Martin Ocampo, respectively. Calle Martin Ocampo was also known as Calle El Dorado circa 1920.Quezon Boulevard was developed as part of a national road plan to connect the government center of Manila in Rizal Park to the proposed new capital on the Diliman estate. Named after the then-President of the Commonwealth, Manuel Luis Quezon, it was built in 1939 over Calle Regidor and the western portion of Calle Norzagaray, which were widened by demolishing all the buildings and houses on its east side and eventually combined with Calle Martin Ocampo, Calle P. Blanco, and a portion of Calle Globo de Oro. It was also in 1939 when the old Puente Colgante, which connected the boulevard south over the Pasig River to Padre Burgos Avenue in Ermita, was replaced by the modern steel arch bridge, Quezon Bridge. According to a 1945 map published by the United States Army Map Service, it was also known as Quezon Avenue. Its northern extension is now called España Boulevard and Quezon Avenue, respectively.