NLEX-SLEX Connector Road’s Caloocan-España Section to open this month

The leadership of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced that the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX)-South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) Connector Road’s initial section is set to be opened in time for the upcoming Holy Week (April 2-8).

Public works secretary Manuel Bonoan said that the opening will be done this month following the recent inspection of the first 5.15-kilometer section of the four-lane road which starts from the end of NLEX Segment 10 in C3 Road, Caloocan City up to the España Interchange in Manila.

Currently two percent short before completion, the NLEX Connector España Section is expected to reduce traffic congestion in the City of Manila particularly in the España Boulevard, Abad Santos Avenue, Rizal Avenue and Lacson Avenue as it will divert trucks and other vehicles from the capital’s major roads. The elevated expressway is also eyed to provide greater access to several areas in Manila including the University Belt.

“We are on our final stretch of construction for this first segment of the NLEX Connector and we are looking forward to opening it before the end of March,” Bonoan was quoted as saying.

For his part, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista said that “the NLEX Connector augurs well for the agency’s mandate of providing convenient access for road users as it will address traffic congestion. We will ensure that a holistic traffic management plan will be in order so motorists can travel safely and seamlessly.”

Around 35,000 vehicles every day are anticipated to benefit from the new road. 

“We started constructing the NLEX Connector España Section in February 2020, and construction was continuous despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the many challenges, we are pleased that the project is almost complete. We will continue to be a strategic partner of the government and focus on our goal of completing this infrastructure that will facilitate greater connection between the north and south,” NLEX Corporation President and General Manager Jose Luigi Bautista shared.

The NLEX Corporation said that the aforementioned part is 80 percent complete as of the third quarter last year.

When completed, the project will interlink the NLEX Segment 10 to the end of Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Sta. Mesa. This will allow motorists from SLEX-Alabang to reach NLEX-Balintawak in 20 minutes instead of the usual two hours.

Costing about P23.2 billion, the NLEX-SLEX Connector Road is a joint project between DPWH and Manila North Tollways Corporation (MNTC) under the public-private partnership (PPP) program.

Meanwhile, the DPWH chief said that the next phase of the project is the three-kilometer section from España to Sta. Mesa that is set to be finished come the second quarter of 2022.

Per Bonoan, the seconc section shall provide trucks “an alternative route from the ports to the south and improve connectivity between Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and Clark International Airport.”

Photos from Department of Public Works and Highways, NLEX Corporation

Also read:

NLEX Connector regarded as ‘welcome development in NCR road transport system’

NLEX elevated connector now stretches to Manila

Construction of NLEX Connector Sta. Mesa Section begins