NLEX Corp. said over the weekend it expects to complete the first phase of NLEX Connector this year and start the construction of two other significant projects in the second half.
It said the two new projects are the NLEX C5 Link Mindanao Avenue-Quirino Highway Section and the Candaba Third Viaduct.
“We continue to actively contribute to our country’s economic recovery by ramping up our infrastructure improvements that aim to enhance the mobility and safety of motorist,” NLEX president J. Luigi Bautista said.
The construction of the 8-kilometer NLEX Connector continues to advance, with the progress of the first 5-kilometer España Section between Caloocan and España interchanges now standing at 70 percent and is expected to be completed within the year.
The entire elevated road extends the expressway southward from NLEX Harbor Link Caloocan Interchange on C3 Road to España Blvd., R. Magsaysay Blvd. and all the way to Sta. Mesa, Manila.
Once completed, the NLEX Connector will provide the supply chain and logistics sector with a more efficient and truck ban-free route, bypassing busy roads such as EDSA and C5.
It will also enhance accessibility to international airports such as NAIA and Clark, help create jobs and spur development between Metro Manila and its surrounding provinces in the north and south.
About 35,000 motorists are expected to be served by this new expressway which runs mostly above the alignment of the Philippine National Railways.
The tollway company is also looking to start within the year the construction of the first two kilometers of the NLEX C5 Link section between the Mindanao Ave. toll plaza and Quirino Highway in Novaliches, Quezon City.
The NLEX C5 Link is an 11.5-kilometer expressway traversing Mindanao Ave., Quirino Highway, Regalado Ave., Congressional Ave. and C.P. Garcia Ave. in Quezon City and a vital portion of the Metro Pacific’s Urban Ring Road or the interconnected tollway network that is being developed to link up the west, east, north and south sides of Metro Manila. Darwin G. Amojelar
When completed, it is seen to reduce the travel time between Mindanao Ave. and Commonwealth Ave. to 10 minutes from the usual 45 minutes.
Another NLEX Corp.’s project for 2022 is the construction of the third bridge at Candaba Viaduct. Situated between Pulilan, Bulacan and Apalit, Pampanga, the Candaba Viaduct is a strategic expressway link that has been serving the Metro Manila and Central and North Luzon road corridor for several years.
The Candaba Third Viaduct project, which is expected to be completed in 24 months, will expand the five-kilometer bridge from existing three lanes without shoulder to three lanes with inner and outer shoulder per direction.
Aside from making travels safer and more convenient, this new bridge, once completed, will also translate to faster journeys as it will increase the maximum speed at the viaduct from 60 kilometers per hour to 80 kph.
NLEX earlier announced other ongoing projects such as the link slab replacement at Candaba Viaduct northbound, the annual NLEX-SCTEX pavement repair program, the strengthening of Pasig-Potrero Bridge in Porac, the road raising works at Dinalupihan, the preventive maintenance of its various infrastructure assets and the continued upgrade of its RFID system.
It also finished working on the link slabs of San Matias Bridge which is located between San Fernando and San Simon interchanges, and the girders of Marilao Interchange Bridge in Marilao, Bulacan.