NLEX Corp., a unit of the Metro Pacific Group, said it expects to start the construction of a multibillion-peso toll road linking the North Luzon Expressway and South Luzon Expressway by the fourth quarter this year.
NLEX president Rodrigo Franco said the company had completed the engineering design of the NLEx-SLEx Connector Road and the government began acquiring right-of-way for the project.
“We need the right-of-way to start the project, maybe fourth quarter,” Franco said.
NLEX would invest P15.74 billion on the NLEx-SLEx project, while the government would spend P7.46 billion for right-of-way acquisition.
The project is expected to be completed in two to three years, depending on the availability of right-of-way.
The project involves the construction of an eight-kilometer, four-lane toll road linking the two expressways through Metro Manila and using the existing Philippine National Railway alignment as its route.
Citra Metro Manila Tollways Corp., which is separately constructing the P26.7-billion Skyway Stage 3 Project, will build a five-kilometer common alignment from Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Sta. Mesa, Manila to Buendia in Makati City of the NLEx-SLEx project.
MPCALA Holdings, another unit of MPIC’s Metro Pacific Tollroads Corp., is also constructing the P35-billon Cavite Laguna Expressway, a four-lane, 47-kilometer closed-system toll expressway connecting Cavitex and South Luzon Expressway.
The expressway will start from Cavitex in Kawit, Cavite and end at the SLEx-Mamplasan Interchange in Biñan, Laguna.
The project will have eight interchanges and one main toll barrier.