The main south line of this road extends from Manila to Lucena in Tayabas. It has branches to Cavite in the province of the same name; to Naic in Cavite; to Pagsanján in La Laguna, and to Batangas in the Province of Batangas.
The Philippine Railway Company has built and is now operating a line on Panay which extends from Iloilo to Capiz, and a line on Cebú which extends north from the city of the same name to Danao and south to Argao.
The development of the road system is even more important than that of railroads.
The following tables show the mileage of first-, second- and third-class roads, and the total number of permanent bridges and culverts, in existence at the end of each year, beginning with 1907:—
Public Works Statistics
| Fiscal Year | Total Mileage of Roads in Existence | |||
| First-class Roads | Increase | Second-class Roads | Third-class Roads | |
| Per Cent | ||||
| 1907 | 303[10] | — | — | — |
| 1908 | 423 | 40 | — | — |
| 1909 | 609 | 44 | — | — |
| 1910 | 764 | 25 | 641[10] | 2,074[10] |
| 1911 | 987 | 29 | 664 | 1,837 |
| 1912 | 1,143 | 16 | 1,342.1[11] | 1,999 |
| 1913[12] | 1,187[13] | — | 1,305.3 | 1,967 |
| Fiscal Year | Total of Permanent Bridges and Culverts | |
| Number | Per Cent | |
| 1907[14] | 3,280[14] | — |
| 1908 | 3,631 | 11 |
| 1909 | 3,865 | 6 |
| 1910 | 4,372 | 13 |
| 1911 | 4,842 | 11 |
| 1912 | 5,181 | 7 |
| 1913 | 5,660 | 9 |
The old Spanish road system was quite extensive and very well planned, but the amount of really good construction was very limited. The system of maintenance was faulty, and the abandonment of maintenance during the insurrection against Spain and the war with the United States resulted in the almost complete destruction of many roads which were in fairly good condition at the time public order became seriously disturbed. The total value of Spanish work on existing roads is estimated at $1,800,000. The total value of all American work up to June 30, 1911, is estimated at $6,100,000.
The imperative need of better highways throughout the islands was brought home by the difficulties encountered by the army during the insurrection, and the first act of the Philippine Commission, passed on the twelfth day after the commission became the legislative body of the islands, appropriated $1,000,000 ($2,000,000 Mexican) for the construction and repair of highways and bridges.