Marikina–Infanta Highway

The Marikina–Infanta Highway begins as a physical continuation of Aurora Boulevard under the Katipunan Flyover in Quezon City. Entering Marikina, the highway slightly curves at the intersection with Andres Bonifacio Avenue, connecting it to Marikina city proper, then crosses the Marikina River. The Diosdado Macapagal Bridge that connects with C-5 merges in front of SM City Marikina. The LRTA's Line 2 System and the Cainta–Marikina sub-transmission line of Meralco run parallel and along the highway. The highway makes another slight curve away from Marikina as it enters Pasig, and soon runs over the Cainta–Marikina boundary. It goes straight towards the Cainta–Antipolo boundary towards the Masinag Junction with Sumulong Highway, where it continues to Cogeo in Antipolo. It reaches the foothills of the Sierra Madre and traverses the municipalities of Tanay in Rizal, Santa Maria in Laguna, and Infanta in Quezon. In Infanta, the highway’s eastern terminus is at its intersection with the Famy–Real–Infanta Road, just southwest of the town proper.

This divided highway features U-turn slots and bike lanes. Several establishments, such as the Riverbanks Center, SM City Marikina, Ayala Malls Feliz, Robinsons Metro East, Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall, and SM City Masinag, are primary landmarks accessible by the road. Meralco sub-transmission lines line the highway from the Cainta–Masinag segment up to Santa Maria, Laguna and on to Infanta, Quezon.

From Antipolo to Infanta, the Marikina–Infanta Highway is a standard, 2-6 lane road divided by lane markings typical of national highways in the provinces. Road size varies depending on the density of the location and the engineering district, wherein numerous road widening may occur, as determined by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The highway from Evangelista Avenue and Old J.P. Rizal Road in Marikina to Sumulong Highway in Antipolo has one-way Class I bicycle lanes with a length of 4.57 kilometers (2.84 mi) and a width of 1.1 to 1.2 meters (3.6 to 3.9 ft),^[1] which were established by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in 2012.^[2] In the 2020s, this was expanded with Class II paint-separated one-way bicycle lanes from the start of the highway up to Evangelista Avenue and Old J.P. Rizal Road as part of the Metropolitan Bike Lane Network.^[3]

Alternative names

The highway's section in Cainta and Antipolo, particularly from Masinag Junction to the Rizal–Metro Manila boundary, is officially known as Marikina Diversion Road, as it diverts motorists away from the city proper of Marikina.^[4] It is also known as Marilaque Highway, from an acronym of the places it passes: Marikina (or Manila), Rizal, Laguna, and Quezon. Street signs tend to bear the Marilaque name for convenience and memorability.

Marikina–Infanta Highway or Marikina–Infanta Road was also known as Marcos Highway before being renamed^[5] after President Ferdinand Marcos was overthrown in the 1986 People Power Revolution.^[6]

The highway existed as far back as the American colonial era as Highway 55, which included present-day Recto Avenue, Legarda Street, Magsaysay Boulevard, and Aurora Boulevard.^{[citation needed]}

In the 1970s, the highway was developed during the administration of Ferdinand Marcos as Marikina Diversion Road.^[8] Construction of the current highway began in 1993 with an estimated cost of over ₱1 billion.^[9]

This is from its western end at the Katipunan Avenue and C-5 Road intersection up to its eastern end at its intersection with N601:

A section of the road near Palo Alto Subdivision in Tanay, Rizal, dubbed the "Devil's Curve", is a frequent site for motorcyclists performing dangerous stunts due to the sharp curved roads.^[11] This frequently results in major accidents.^[12][13] According to the PNP Highway Patrol Group, 158 accidents were reported along the highway in 2024, with 110 occurring in the Palo Alto area.^[14] In 2025, one person was killed after a bus overturned along the highway in Infanta, Quezon, despite a ban on buses and other heavy vehicles from using the highway.^[15]