THE North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Corporation is set to complete and commence three significant projects within the second half of 2022 as it remains committed to lay the groundwork for more infrastructure developments and enhancements.
Among the projects are the NLEX Connector, the NLEX C5 Link Mindanao Avenue-Quirino Highway Section, and the Candaba Third Viaduct.
NLEX Corporation President J. Luigi L. Bautisa said, “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 motorists.”
The construction of the eight-kilometer NLEX Connector continues to advance, with the progress of the first five-kilometer España Section between Caloocan and España interchanges now standing at 70 percent and expected to be completed within the year.
The entire elevated road extends the expressway southward from NLEX Harbor Link Caloocan Interchange on C3 Road, España Boulevard, R. Magsaysay Boulevard, all the way to Sta. Mesa, Manila.
The NLEX Connector aims to 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 the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Clark International Airport, help create jobs, and spur development between Metro Manila and its surrounding provinces in the north and south. Once opened, around 35,000 motorists are expected to be served by this new expressway which runs mostly above the alignment of the Philippine National Railways (PNR).
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 Avenue toll plaza and Quirino Highway in Novaliches, Quezon City.
In its entirety, the NLEX C5 Link is an 11.5-kilometer expressway traversing Mindanao Avenue, Quirino Highway, Regalado Avenue, Congressional Avenue and CP Garcia Avenue 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. When completed, it is seen to reduce the travel time between Mindanao Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue to 10 minutes instead of the usual 45 minutes.
Also included in the NLEX Corporation.’s pipeline of projects 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 the existing three lanes without shoulders to three lanes with inner and outer shoulders per direction. Aside from making travel 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 60kph to 80kph.
Earlier this year, NLEX announced its 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, 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 the San Fernando and San Simon interchanges, and the girders of Marilao Interchange Bridge in Marilao, Bulacan.
NLEX Corporation is a unit of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation, the toll road arm of the Metro Pacific Investments Corporation.