NLEX Connector España Section is 80% complete

The first five-kilometer section of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Connector (between Caloocan Interchange on C3 Road and the future España Interchange in Manila) is 80-percent complete.

In a statement, NLEX Corporation President and General Manager J. Luigi Bautista expressed firm belief that the project will make a positive impact on the traffic conditions in the metro.

“We are pleased to note that this vital infrastructure project aimed at easing travel achieves another milestone as it reaches 80 percent completion. This inspires optimism for the logistics sector since in a few months’ time, truckers will have a 24/7 alternative route which will enable unimpeded delivery of goods,” he said.

The aforementioned segment has on and off ramps and toll plazas along C3 Road and España Boulevard, crosses over the Blumentritt Station of LRT 1 and Dimasalang Bridge, and utilizes steel box girders for its curved and highly-elevated areas.

A public-private partnership project between the NLEX Corporation and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the road — which is part of the Luzon Spine Expressway Network — is eyed to improve the supply chain and logistics sectors’ mobility, which are considered integral to the country’s economic growth and competitiveness.

According to the NLEX Corporation, the DPWH has turned over 91 percent of the right-of-way for the España section and 83 percent for the Sta. Mesa section.

When completed, the eight-kilometer, four lane, all-vehicle expressway is targeted to serve around 35,000 motorists daily.

It passes through Tondo, Sta. Cruz, Sampaloc, and Sta. Mesa in Manila and has three interchanges located at C3 Road/5th Avenue in Caloocan, España Boulevard, and R. Magsaysay Boulevard in Manila. It is seen to significantly reduce travel time from NLEX to South Luzon by at least 60 percent, enhance the journey between international airports such as Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Clark, and stimulate development between Metro Manila and its surrounding provinces.

Earlier, the toll operator already pushed back the completion of the NLEX Connector’s Caloocan Interchange to España Boulevard to first quarter of 2022 from yearend of 2021.

Photos from NLEX Corporation

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