PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. inaugurated the first 5.15-kilometer section of the North Luzon Expressway-South Luzon Expressway (NLEX-SLEX) Connector Road Project on March 27, 2023 at the NLEX Connector España Toll Plaza.
The NLEX Connector Caloocan-España section bridges Circumferential Road 3 (C-3), Caloocan, and España and is expected to reduce traffic congestion in Manila, particularly in España Boulevard, Abad Santos Avenue, Rizal Avenue and Lacson Avenue by diverting trucks and other vehicles from major roads.
The decongested roads will benefit around 35,000 vehicles daily and enhance business operations in the traversed areas.
“[T]he NLEX connector is a showcase of Filipino engineering capability and ingenuity,” said J. Luigi L. Bautista, President & General Manager of NLEX Corporation.
According to President Marcos, Jr., the expressway will improve the movement of cargo and goods, especially those coming from the Port of Manila.
In its entirety, the NLEX-SLEX Connector Road Project is an 8-kilometer, four-lane elevated expressway spanning C3 Road in Caloocan, España, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Sta. Mesa, and the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 (MMSS3).
The PHP23.20-billion project is a public-private partnership (PPP) between the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), procured under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) law.
Once completed, it is expected to decongest traffic in Metro Manila by providing an alternative to C-5 Road, Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), and other major roads.
It will also cut the travel time between NLEX and SLEX from more than an hour to just 15 to 20 minutes.
This is in line with the Marcos, Jr. administration’s 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda and Build, Better, More program, which seeks to improve interconnectivity within the country.
President Marcos Jr. emphasized that government and private sector synergy will be a defining factor in the overall development of the country, stressing the need for a whole-of-government and whole-of-nation approach.
Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno, Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan, Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista, Metro Pacific Investments Corporation Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, and NLEX President and General Manager J. Luigi L. Bautista were in attendance.
