The government and the Metro Pacific Group on Thursday inaugurated the NLEx Harbor Link Segment 10 and broke ground for the P23.3-billion NLEx Connector Road—two elevated expressways that are expected to alleviate traffic congestion in Metro Manila.
“NLEx Harbor Link Segment 10 and NLEx Connector are just some of Metro Pacific’s expansion projects geared towards providing further convenience to motorists and bringing more opportunities in nearby cities and provinces,” Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. president and chief executive Rodrigo Franco said.
NLEx Corp. president and general manager Luigi Bautista said the inauguration of the NLEx Harbor Link Segment 10 and the groundbreaking of the NLEx Connector “show the political will of the government and the solid partnership between public and private sectors.”
NLEx Connector is an 8-kilometer elevated toll expressway over the right-of-way of the Philippine National Railways.
The project starts at the junction of NLEx Segment 10 at C-3 Road/5th Ave. in Caloocan City and will connect to South Luzon Expressway through Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 Project in Manila. Upon completion, the toll road is expected to benefit around 35,000 vehicles per day.
NLEx Harbor Link Segment 10 was also inaugurated to improve the accessibility and connectivity between key areas of Metro Manila and the northern provinces of Luzon via North Luzon Expressway.
Traversing the cities of Valenzuela, Malabon and Caloocan, the 5.65-km, 6-lane NLEx Harbor Link Segment 10 is seen to divert 30,000 vehicles daily away from the busy streets of Metro Manila. With this road, travel time between C3 and NLEx will only take 5 minutes.
It will also facilitate the efficient delivery of goods as cargo trucks will have alternative access from the Port Area in Manila to the provinces in Central and Northern Luzon.
The elevated expressway will enable travelers from Manila to Central and North Luzon to have a shorter travel time as they can head straight to NLEx, bypassing Edsa and the Balintawak Toll Plaza.
The next phase of the project is the 2.6-km section from C3 Road, Caloocan City to R10, Navotas City.
MPTC chairman Manuel Pangilinan said Metro Pacific was pleased with the government’s help in speeding up important infrastructure projects.
“Apart from our team’s commitment to support the administration’s ‘Build Build Build’ program, the government’s help in ramping up the acquisition of right-of-way made us deliver this vital infrastructure which aims to bolster development and ease traffic congestion in the country,” Pangilinan said.
Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said the traffic decongestion project is now open to motorists.
“The NLEx Harbor Link Segment 10 validates the Duterte administration’s promise to bring real change by providing travel convenience and strongly enhancing our service to the Filipino people,” Villar said.