NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 to start construction

MANILA, Philippines - Construction of the 5.65-kilometer Segment 10, the second and last component of the NLEX Harbor Link, will start this month with the signing of the civil works construction contract between the Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC) and Leighton Contractors (Asia) Limited. Segment 10 will be an elevated roadway connecting Segment 9 at  MacArthur Highway in Malinta, Valenzuela City to C3 Road (5th Avenue) in Grace Park, Caloocan City.

MNTC is the builder and concessionaire of the NLEX while Leighton is an internationally known construction company previously engaged by MNTC for the 84- kilometer NLEX mainline and 2.7-km NLEX Mindanao Avenue Link Segment 8.1.

To be completed in 2016, the P10.5-billion NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 will provide a more convenient expressway route to the port areas. It will improve movement of cargo and allow more trips for cargo trucks as they will be freed from the truck ban.

Segment 10 will also help decongest Metro Manila as it will offer motorists another alternative to the NLEX, apart from EDSA/Balintawak and Mindanao Avenue. Cargo trucks, buses and commercial vehicles do not need to use Metro Manila’s congested streets to access the NLEX. About 30,000 vehicles daily are expected to benefit from the new expressway.

MNTC president Rodrigo Franco said “Segment 10 is part of our expansion program geared towards connecting the NLEX to key areas in Metro Manila with the ultimate goal of providing convenience to motorists and promoting commerce in the metropolis and nearby provinces.”

Meanwhile, construction of the first segment of the NLEX Harbor Link, the 2.4-km Segment 9, is in full swing. Upon completion, Segment 9 will directly connect Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City to MacArthur Highway in Valenzuela City. The P1.59-billion road segment is scheduled to begin commercial operations by the third quarter of the year.

Both Segments 9 and 10 of the NLEX Harbor Link were certified by the National Economic and Development Authority as “infrastructure projects under the public-private partnership (PPP) program of the Aquino government.