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Work begins on NLEX interchange near Philippine Arena

Ramon Efren Lazaro - The Philippine Star

February 2, 2019 | 12:00am

Work begins on NLEX interchange near Philippine Arena

Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar attend the groundbreaking for the Philippine Arena Interchange at the NLEX in Bulacan yesterday. Also in photo are Sen. Joel Villanueva, Rep. Miro Quimbo, Rep. Alfred Vargas, Rep. Winnie Castelo, barangay captain Chito Valmocina, GP Santos of Iglesia ni Cristo, councilor Precious Castelo, Glicerio Santos Jr. of Iglesia ni Cristo, PM Vargas, Bocaue Mayor Eleonor Tugna, Rep. Feliciano Belmonte Jr., Rep. Kit Belmonte and Cabinet Secretary Carlo Nograles. Not in photo but present during the event are Bulacan Vice Gov. Daniel Fernando and North Luzon Expressway Corp. chairman Manny V. Pangilinan.

BOCAUE, Philippines — North Luzon Expressway Corp. chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan yesterday led the groundbreaking of the P635-million new NLEX interchange in this town.

“(We remain) committed to supporting the government’s Build, Build, Build program as it provides hassle-free travel convenience for expressway customers,” he said.

Once opened to traffic, the elevated expressway “will take about 30,000 vehicles away from congested roads in Metro Manila,” Pangilinan added.

“The interchange is regarded as one of the traffic decongestion projects of the government aimed at improving the Bulacan road network, particularly in the towns of Bocaue, Sta. Maria, Pandi, Norzagaray and Marilao and San Jose del Monte city as well as boosting the economic activities in these places and nearby communities,” Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said.

Villar said the first phase of the construction comprises two additional lanes in the existing Bocaue municipal road, an 80-meter two-lane bridge crossing the NLEX and the rehabilitation of the inner road at Philippine Arena, with a total length of 1.93 kilometers.

The road segment begins near the Bocaue Municipal Hall going to Sta. Maria town, bypassing Halili Avenue from Bocaue to Sta. Maria.

The second phase is the improvement of the 1.91-kilometer road from MacArthur Highway to the Bocaue Municipal Road and the completion of the southbound 800 linear meter acceleration and deceleration lanes for vehicles headed toward Philippine Arena.

The third phase covers the construction of a 1.3-kilometer road from Philippine Arena to the existing Patubig Road in Marilao.

Villar’s department will also build a new NLEX west service road between Bocaue and Marilao.

The interchange is seen as an alternate route to the heavily congested Gov. Fortunato Halili Avenue.

Glicerio Santos IV, chief operations officer of Maligay Development Corp. (MDC), said “the interchange is expected to further improve the accessibility of Philippine Arena, (venue of the) opening ceremony of the Southeast Asian Games in November.”

Also present during the groundbreaking ceremony yesterday were Sen. Joel Villanueva, Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, senior officers of MDC and NLEX as well as local officials of Bulacan. – With Richmond Mercurio