Jose P. Laurel Highway
![]() | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() The highway near Lipa City Hall | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by the Department of Public Works and Highways | ||||
Length | 49 km (30 mi) | |||
Existed | 1903–present | |||
Component highways | ![]() | |||
Major junctions | ||||
North end | ![]() | |||
| ||||
South end | ![]() ![]() | |||
Location | ||||
Country | Philippines | |||
Provinces | Batangas | |||
Major cities | Santo Tomas, Tanauan, Lipa, Batangas City | |||
Towns | Malvar, San Jose | |||
Highway system | ||||
| ||||
|
Jose P. Laurel Highway is a 49-kilometer (30 mi), two-to-six lane, major highway running within the province of Batangas.[1][2][3] The highway forms part of National Route 4 (N4) of the Philippine highway network.[4] 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

_(cropped).jpg)
Jose P. Laurel Highway starts at the Santo Tomas Junction, a roundabout with the Maharlika Highway and Governor Carpio Avenue (officially part of Manila South Road via Santo Tomas Poblacion) 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 (Manila–Batangas Pier Road) in the city proper.[4]
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.[5] 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.[6] The road was designated as Highway 19 or Route 19 from Santo Tomas southwards. The northern segment up to Calamba formed part of Highway 1 or Route 1 and was integrated to the Manila South Road and eventually the Pan-Philippine Highway up to Calamba Interchange with South Luzon Expressway.[7][8][9][10]
New alignments bypassing the downtowns of San Jose,[11][12] Lipa (now known as Ayala Highway), and Santo Tomas (officially known as Manila–Batangas Diversion Road),[4] respectively, were later built and made part of the present-day Jose P. Laurel Highway.[13]
Intersections

The entire route is located in Batangas. Intersections are numbered by kilometer posts, with Rizal Park in Manila designated as kilometer zero.
City/Municipality | km | mi | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Santo Tomas | ![]() | Northern terminus. Santo Tomas Roundabout. | |||
![]() | Roundabout interchange. Southern end of Manila–Batangas Diversion Road. | ||||
Santo Tomas Bypass Road | |||||
Santo Tomas–Tanauan boundary | San Juan Bridge over San Juan River | ||||
Tanauan | J. Gonzales Street | ||||
![]() | Traffic light intersection. | ||||
Sixto Castillo Street | |||||
P. Carandang Street | |||||
Banjo Road | |||||
Malvar | Isabelo G. Navarro Street | ||||
J. Lantin Street | |||||
Malvar–Santo Tomas Diversion Road | Access to ![]() | ||||
Pedro Montecer Street – STAR Tollway | |||||
San Juan Road | Access to Brgy. San Juan. | ||||
San Andres Road | Access to Brgy. San Andres & San Juan. | ||||
Lipa | L.P. Leviste Road / Manila–Batangas Bypass Road – Alaminos | Northern end of bypass road. | |||
Alaminos–Lipa City Road / Manila–Batangas Bypass Road – Alaminos, Santo Tomas | Southern end of bypass road. Eastbound goes to the southern tip of Santo Tomas in Batangas and Alaminos in Laguna. | ||||
F. Leviste Highway – STAR Tollway, Balete | |||||
Alaminos–Lipa Road – Alaminos, San Pablo | |||||
![]() | Eastern end of Ayala Highway. | ||||
T.M. Kalaw Street | Access to Brgy. Sto. Toribio and Lipa City proper. | ||||
San Carlos Drive – Balete | |||||
![]() | Western end of Ayala Highway. | ||||
Tambo–Lodlod Road | |||||
![]() | |||||
M.P. Casanova Street – Mataasnakahoy | Alternate access to Mataasnakahoy. | ||||
![]() | Serves Basilio Fernando Air Base. | ||||
Lipa–Mataaskahoy Road – Mataasnakahoy | Primary access to Mataasnakahoy. | ||||
Narding Reyes Street | |||||
![]() | Banaybanay Crossing. | ||||
Banaybanay–Mojon–Tampoy Road | |||||
San Jose | Charito Makalintal Avenue – San Jose town proper, Ibaan | ||||
Malaking Ilog Bridge | |||||
Pinagtung-ulan–Galamay-Amo–Taysan Road | |||||
Makalintal Avenue / Pulgeras Road – San Jose town proper, Alitagtag, Bauan | |||||
Chief Justice Q.C. Makalintal Avenue – San Jose town proper | |||||
Batangas City | Bagong Pook–Tugtug Road – San Jose, Cuenca | ||||
Balagtas Bridge over Balagtas River | |||||
Batangas City–San Pascual–Bauan Bypass Road – Bauan, San Pascual, Mabini | |||||
![]() ![]() ![]() | Balagtas Roundabout. | ||||
![]() | |||||
![]() | |||||
Telecom Road | Batangas Provincial Capitol perimeter road. | ||||
Hilltop Road / Arce Road | Hilltop Road borders the Batangas Provincial Capitol. | ||||
![]() ![]() ![]() | Southern terminus. Traffic light intersection | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
References
- ^ "Batangas 2nd". Department of Public Works and Highways. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ "Batangas 3rd". Department of Public Works and Highways. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ "Batangas 4th". Department of Public Works and Highways. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Road and Bridge Inventory". Department of Public Works and Highways. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
- ^ Executive Order No. 71 (December 3, 1936), Establishing the Classification of Roads, retrieved February 9, 2022
- ^ "The Building of the Calamba-Batangas Road in 1900". Batangas History, Culture & Folklore. August 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
- ^ 1944 Army Map Service Road Map of Northern Luzon, Philippines (Map). 1:500000. Washington D.C.: Army Map Service. 1944. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ ND 51-9 Batangas (Map). 1:250,000. Washington D.C.: Army Map Service, Corps of Engineers. 1954. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ Buhay Batangas (January 4, 2018). "Map of Batangas Road System c. 1914". Batangas History, Culture and Folklore. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
- ^ General Map of the Island of Luzon, Phil. Is. Showing the Manila Railroad Company's Railway & Water Lines (Map). 1:1,060,000. Bureau Coast and Geodetic Survey Litho. 1930. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
- ^ Buhay Batangas (January 24, 2018). "A 1930 Batangas Road Trip Guide". Batangas History, Culture and Folklore. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
- ^ Southern Luzon Western Sheet (Map). 1:200000. Washington D.C.: US Geodetic Survey. 1941. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ ND 51-5 Manila (Map). 1:250,000. Washington D.C.: Army Map Service, Corps of Engineers. 1954. Retrieved November 20, 2021.