The P23.3 billion NLEX-SLEX Connector road should be operating midway into the first quarter of 2023, according to urban development advocate Atty. Rafael J. dela Torre.
The NLEX-SLEX Connector, an eight-kilometer, four-lane, all elevated tollway extending the alignment of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) from Caloocan City to Santa Mesa in Manila, links up with Skyway Stage 3, and ultimately, to the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).
“This tollway will surely make our people’s travel safe and comfortable, and increase trade and commerce among provinces north and south of Manila,” he stressed in a statement issued Friday, Nov. 25.
NLEX builder and operator Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) work on the NLEX Connector structure before Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Santa Mesa is almost complete.
Then SLEX operator SMC Infrastructure will link the two elevated expressways of NLEX and Skyway Stage 3.
The company “would also do its part in accelerating the completion of the Connector project”, Dela Torre remarked.
“This interconnection between NLEX and SMC is not new,” he noted, citing his experience using both the NLEX and the Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway (TPLEX). “What they promise as a safe and comfortable journey is true.”
The NLEX-SLEX Connector traverses the alignment from C3 Road on 5th Avenue to Espana Boulevard (5.15 kilometers) for Section 1, and from Espana to PUP Sta. Mesa (2.75 kilometers) for Section 2.
From this point, the Connector should link up with the Skyway Stage 3 that leads to SLEX.
To date, the segment from Caloocan to Espana is already 90 percent complete, while the Espana to Sta. Mesa is 22 percent finished.
The Connector is vital in stimulating the economy of Manila, Caloocan, Malabon, and Navotas, the development advocate maintained.
“It will also decongest traffic in Metro Manila, because it will give cargo-carrying trucks a round-the-clock alternative route, not to mention being free from truck bans,” he pointed out.
Studies showed that the Connector will provide better access to the Manila Ports in North Harbor and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, as well as Clark Airport.
For the commuting public, travel time from SLEX-Alabang to NLEX-Balintawak will be reduced from 1.5-2 hours to 15-20 minutes.
It will likewise reduce travel time from Clark to Calamba from two hours to 1 hour and 40 minutes.
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The article was originally published in Manila Bulletin and written by Emmie V. Abadilla.
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