MANILA, Philippines — Efforts to alleviate traffic congestion in Metro Manila have gained headway, with the inauguration yesterday of the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 and the groundbreaking of the NLEX-SLEX Connector Road.
“We are glad that this traffic decongestion project is now open to our motorists. The NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 validates the Duterte administration’s promise to bring real change by providing travel convenience and strongly enhancing our service to the Filipino people,” Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said.
The NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 is expected to improve accessibility and connectivity between key areas of Metro Manila and the northern provinces of Luzon via the NLEX.
The 5.65-kilometer, six-lane NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 will traverse the cities of Valenzuela, Malabon and Caloocan, cutting travel time between C3 and NLEX to five minutes.
The elevated expressway is seen to ease traffic bottlenecks as it diverts 30,000 vehicles daily from the busy streets of Metro Manila.
It will also facilitate efficient delivery of goods, as cargo trucks will have alternative access from the port area to provinces in northern Luzon and vice versa.
The next phase of the project is a 2.6-km section from C3 Road, Caloocan City to R10, Navotas City.
Manuel V. Pangilinan, chairman of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC), the private group behind the project, said the MVP Group is very pleased with the government’s help in speeding up important infrastructure projects.
“Apart from our team’s commitment to support the administration’s Build Build Build program, the government’s help in ramping up the acquisition of right-of-way made us deliver this vital infrastructure which aims to bolster development and ease traffic congestion in the country,” Pangilinan said.
Simultaneous with the full opening of the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 yesterday was the commencement of the two-year construction of the P23.3-billion NLEX-SLEX Connector Road Project.
The NLEX Connector is an eight-kilometer all-elevated highway along the PNR extending the NLEX southward from the end of Segment 10 in C3/5th Avenue, Caloocan City to PUP Sta. Mesa, Manila.
It is expected to decongest major thoroughfares and improve linkages between north and south.
“NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 and NLEX Connector are just some of Metro Pacific’s expansion projects geared towards providing further convenience to motorists and bringing more opportunities in nearby cities and provinces,” MPTC president and CEO Rodrigo Franco said.
“The inauguration of the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 and the groundbreaking of the NLEX Connector show the political will of the government and the solid partnership between public and private sectors,” NLEX Corp. president and general manager Luigi Bautista said.