Question & AnswerQ&A (Republic Act No. 2000)
The main purpose of the Limited Access Highway Act is to preserve public peace, health, and safety and to promote the general welfare by establishing and regulating limited access highways.
A limited access facility is defined as a highway or street designed especially for through traffic, where owners or occupants of abutting land have no or limited rights of access, light, air, or view because their property abuts such facility.
The Department of Public Works and Communications is authorized to plan, designate, establish, regulate, vacate, alter, improve, maintain, and provide limited access facilities.
No person has a right of ingress or egress to or from limited access facilities except at designated points and under terms prescribed by the Department of Public Works and Communications.
Property or property rights may be acquired by gift, devise, purchase, or condemnation in fee simple, following existing laws for acquiring properties related to highways and streets.
Condemnation cases related to the acquisition of property or property rights for limited access facilities shall take precedence over all other cases not involving the public interest.
The Department may designate existing streets or highways as part of limited access facilities, eliminate grade crossings, or close off roads intersecting the limited access highway at grade level.
Local service roads are roads established, altered, or designated to provide service adjacent to limited access facilities, regulated similarly and separated appropriately from the main limited access highway.
Complete financing is provided by Congress through the annual Public Works Appropriation Act, with additional financing arrangements under various Republic Acts and funds specified.
Driving over curbs or dividing sections, making unauthorized turns, driving in improper lanes or directions, or entering limited access facilities improperly are unlawful and punishable under the Philippine Highway Act of 1953 and the Revised Penal Code.
If any provision is declared invalid or inapplicable, the rest of the Act remains effective and applicable to other persons or circumstances.
The Act took effect immediately upon its approval on June 22, 1957.