NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 ready by Dec
The North Luzon Expressway Harbor Link Segment 10 will be open to motorists before Christmas, according to Public Works Secretary Mark Villar.
The announcement was made at a recent site inspection of the newly constructed portion of the project in MacArthur Highway in Karuhatan, Valenzuela City.
“This will be this administration and MPTC’s Christmas gift to our people as we target to deliver it by Christmas time,”Villar said.
The NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10, expected to cater to around 30,000 vehicles daily, will significantly impact commerce, while providing a solution to Metro Manila traffic woes.
Once operational, NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 will boost the country’s transport and logistics industry as cargo trucks will have 24/7 direct access from the port area to the northern provinces of Luzon and vice versa via the NLEX.
“Aside from providing travel convenience, the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 will spur massive investments in its host communities,” Metro Pacific Tollways president Rodrigo Franco said, adding that travel time from Manila port to NLEX will take approximately 10 minutes.
100% ROW delivered
Villar affirmed government’s commitment to settle and acquire the right of way for the project as he announced that government is able to turn over 100 percent right of way (ROW) to the NLEX Corp. This, he said, was made possible through the joint efforts of the public and private sector. The acquisition of all the required ROW will allow the NLEX Corp. to complete construction of the project before Christmas.
DPWH director for PublicPrivate Partnership Services Alex Bote said the ROW is vital in the construction of the road project, clearing the way for the construction of the 8.25-kilometer, four-lane elevated expressway.
The stretch runs from MacArthur Highway to C3 Road up to Radial R10.
“The 100 percent ROW completion is seen as a substantial accomplishment on the part of the DPWH and the NLEX Corp.,” Bote said.
The right-of-way acquisition covers three cities, namely Caloocan, Malabon, Valenzuela, comprising a total of 528 lots.
Bote also said an order from the DPWH issued in May 2017 accelerated the progress of ROW settlements. This order states the delegation of ROW functions and the establishment of a system of deploying ROW task forces to decentralize and rationalize ROW operations.
DPWH reported that from 2014 to 2017, ROW settlements only accounted for 33 lots. Since the effectivity of the said ordinance, 495 lots were settled in a span of 17 months. “People and estab- lishments gave up their lots for the greater good of the public,” Bote said.
He said the successful ROW settlement is made possible by the concerted effort from the DPWH, NLEX Corp., the local government, and National Housing Authority, and affirmed the primacy and value of “human communication” to affected people.
Working double time
NLEX Corp. is working 24/7 for the full completion of the road project by December. DPWH expressed confidence that NLEX Corp. is “equal to the task.”
NLEX Corp. vice president for Project Management Nemesio Castillo affirmed NLEX’s ability to meet the construction deadline. Bored pile foundation works, which are the most delicate part in the construction process, have been accelerated as the ground team is working double time, Castillo said.
Geared to finish the bored piling works by the end of October, Castillo noted that a systematic laying of the foundation is being carefully and precisely done to prevent mounting traffic in the construction area.
The first section, which traverses the NLEX from MacArthur Highway Karuhatan, Valenzuela City, passing through Malabon City and C3 Road, Caloocan City, is now 83 percent complete.