NLEX to start C5 connector

MANILA, Philippines — The concessionaire behind the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) will start linking the toll road to C-5 Road by the second quarter of the year to expand access to all corners of Metro Manila.

NLEX Corp. will begin construction on the initial segment of the NLEX C-5 Link, listing the project as one of its priorities alongside two others.

J. Luigi Bautista, NLEX Corp. president and general manager, said NLEX C-5 Link Section 1A will run for two kilometers connecting Mindanao Avenue and Quirino Highway.

Bautista said the project is aimed at providing motorists another alternative in crossing Mindanao Avenue, one of the busiest roads in Quezon City. The goal is to extend NLEX all the way to C-5 to bridge the toll road to every segment of the metro.

“The construction of this new expressway section will be welcome news for NLEX commuters, who currently face daily traffic gridlock in congested portions of Mindanao Avenue. Eventually, this section will be integrated into the future NLEX expansion to C-5/C.P. Garcia near Katipunan Avenue,” Bautista said.

“We foresee an interconnected tollway network that will be accessible to the west, east, north and south sides of Metro Manila,” he added.

On top of this, NLEX Corp. hopes to complete the third Candaba Viaduct within the year to give motorists an additional lane for traversing the expressway.

The bridge is being constructed in the middle of the two existing bridges connecting the Bulacan and Pampanga segments of the toll road.

The infrastructure will serve as the main thoroughfare for trucks transporting heavy shipments. Last year, NLEX borrowed P10 billion from the Bank of the Philippine Islands to pay some of its maturing debts and finance the remaining works for the Candaba Viaduct.

NLEX Corp. will likewise broaden the San Fernando portion of NLEX by the second quarter of the year. The project will add one lane in each direction to address the traffic mess in the segment linking San Fernando, Pampanga with the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX).

NLEX Corp, a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., is increasing its capital expenditures by 50 percent to P15 billion this year, from P10 billion in 2023 to finance new and ongoing projects.

It manages the contract to operate and maintain NLEX, NLEX Connector Road and SCTEX.