Kalayaan Avenue was formerly called Pasig Line Street as it followed the defunct Paco–Pasig tram line of the ManilaElectric Railway for most of its length; the street in the district of San Andres in Manila still bears that name. The line was built in 1908 but was heavily damaged during World War II. Subsequent development of the Bel-Air Village by Ayala Corporation in 1957 has led to the closure of a segment of Pasig Line west of EDSA. During the term of PresidentFerdinand Marcos, the road was improved and was renamed to Imelda Avenue after his wife and first lady, Imelda Marcos. Following the overthrow of the Marcos regime, the Makati government renamed the avenue to Kalayaan.
Route description
;West Kalayaan near Century City The western section begins as a four-lane road from the intersection with Zobel Roxas Street, behind Puregold Makati at the border of Makati and Manila as a continuation of Pasig Line Street in San Andres, Manila. It cuts across the northern portion of the city passing the residential and commercial villages of Singkamas, Tejeros, Santa Cruz, Olympia, Valenzuela, Bel-Air, and Poblacion. Between South Avenue and Nicanor Garcia Street, Kalayaan bounds the Manila South Cemetery to the south. It crosses into the western edge of Bel-Air and Población where St. Andrew the Apostle Parish could be found. East towards the intersection with Makati Avenue, Kalayaan is dominated by the Century City and Picar Place developments on the northern side where the city's next supertalls are being constructed, such as The Stratford Residences, Trump Tower Manila, and The Gramercy Residences. At Makati Avenue, the road traverses a major entertainment and hotel district, with many nightclubs, bars and mid to low range hotels in the immediate vicinity. The section of Kalayaan east of P. Burgos Street is home to many sports pubs. It ends at a merge with Rockwell Drive by the entrance to the gated Bel-Air Village, where it continues as Mercedes Street. ;East Kalayaan , north of Bonifacio Global City East of Bel-Air at the intersection with EDSA, the avenue picks up as a 6-8 lane divided highway. It runs underneath the Kalayaan Flyover as it heads towards the entrance to Bonifacio Global City. It veers northeast at the junction with 32nd Street thereby avoiding the Bonifacio district. The road continues in this manner as it heads into Guadalupe Nuevo and Cembo, bending eastwards just before coming to an intersection with Eighth Avenue in West Rembo. East of Eighth Avenue, the eastbound lane of Kalayaan is becoming part of Taguig where it forms the northern border of Bonifacio Global City with the upcoming Uptown Bonifacio development by Megaworld soon dominating this stretch of Kalayaan. The road transverses in Makati and terminates at the junction with J.P. Rizal Avenue Extension in East Rembo just a few hundred meters past C-5 Road. East of J.P. Rizal Extension, Kalayaan ends at Buting Bridge over Taguig River to give way to M. Concepcion Avenue as it continues east towards San Joaquin, Pasig.
