The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has announced that they are planning to open the NLEX Connector- España section to the motoring public before the Holyweek exodus begins in April.
Public works secretary, Manuel Bonoan and Department of Transportation (DOTr) secretary, Jaime Bautista, together with NLEX Corporation President and General Manager, Luigi Bautista, and Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation President Rodrigo Franco, inspected on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, the first 5.15-kilometer section of the 4-lane NLEX-SLEX Connector Road extending from the end of NLEX Segment 10 in C3 Road, Caloocan City to the España Interchange along España Boulevard in Manila City.
“We are targeting to open the España Section before Holy Week to help decongest vehicular traffic in Metro Manila, especially to and from the Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela (Camanava) area,” said Bonoan.
When completed, the 4-lane NLEX-SLEX Connector Road will connect NLEX Segment 10 to the end of Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Sta. Mesa, greatly reducing travel time from SLEX-Alabang to NLEX-Balintawak from two 2 hours to just 20 minutes.
The PHP 23.2-billion NLEX-SLEX Connector Road is a joint implementation project by the Philippine Government thru DPWH and Manila North Tollways Corporation (MNTC) under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Program.
The project alignment has mostly utilized portions of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) road right-of-way.
“Construction of the second section stretching from España Boulevard to Polytechnic University of the Philippines - Sta Mesa is being fast-tracked to provide trucks with an alternative route from the ports to the south and improve connectivity between Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and Clark International Airport,” added Bonoan.
