NLEX breaks ground on connector road, opens Harbor Link Segment 10

NLEX Corp. began on Thursday the construction of the connector road linking the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) to the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) as it opened the NLEx Harbor Link Segment 10 to the public.

The groundbreaking for the NLExSLEx Connector Road was two months ahead of its original May 2019 target, with a scheduled appearance by President Rodrigo R. Duterte, accompanied by officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and other government agencies. As of deadline time, they were also due to attend inaugural program for the Harbor Link expressway at C3, Caloocan City.

“Identification of right-of-way requirement and most of acquisition activities were completed hence the earlier-as-planned start of construction activities for the NLEx-SLEx Connector Road Project,” DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar said in a statement.

The P23.3-billion NLEx-SLEx Connector Road is an 8-kilometer elevated highway that will link the end of Harbor Link in C3, Caloocan City to the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Sta. Mesa, Manila. Once operational in 2021, it is expected to benefit 35,000 motorists by cutting travel time from NLEx to SLEx to 20 minutes from the usual two hours.

The NLEx Harbor Link Segment 10, on the other hand, is a P15.55-billion project also by NLEX Corp. consisting of a 5.65-kilometer elevated highway connecting Karuhatan, Valenzuela City to C3 in Caloocan City. It also includes a 2.6-kilometer spur road to Radial Road 10 (R10) in Navotas City that is expected to open by year’s end.

“We are glad that this traffic decongestion project is now open to our motorists. (It) validates the Duterte administration’s promise to bring real change by providing travel convenience… to the Filipino people,” Mr. Villar was quoted as saying.

NLEX Corp. President Luigi L. Bautista said the two projects are proof of the “political will of the government and the solid partnership between public and private sectors.”

NLEX Corp. is part of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., the tollways unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC).

MPIC is one of three key Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT, Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Denise A. Valdez