NLEX Connector Road toll charges start August 8

MANILA, Philippines — Starting Aug. 8, motorists will have to pay a fee for the use of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Connector Road, ending more than four months of toll-free access to the highway.

In an advisory, NLEX Corp. announced that the Toll Regulatory Board has allowed them to begin collecting tolls at the first section of the connector road.

The expressway will collect a toll of P86 for Class 1, P215 for Class 2 and P302 for Class 3 vehicles.

Based on data, the NLEX Connector Road has provided toll-free passage for more than 14,000 motorists every day since it was inaugurated in March. At this rate, NLEX Corp. lost a minimum of P144 million in revenue between March and July.

Moving forward, NLEX Corp. committed to complete the Sta. Mesa segment of the expressway by the fourth quarter of the year.

Once that section is delivered, the NLEX Connector Road will provide an alternative pathway to the University Belt, reducing traffic buildup in the cities of Manila, Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela.

In March, NLEX Corp. opened the first phase of the NLEX Connector Road, stretching for about five kilometers and connecting C3 Road in Caloocan City with España in Manila.

In a previous interview, NLEX Corp. president and general manager J. Luigi Bautista expressed hope that the interconnection bridge to Skyway will be built soon. San Miguel Corp. is tasked to put up the access road between NLEX Connector Road and South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).

Once the linkage is built, the NLEX Connector Road will reduce travel time between NLEX and SLEX by 60 percent. It will also contribute to the realization of the Luzon Spine Expressway network, a series of highways that should ease travel between Ilocos region and Bicol to nine hours.

NLEX Corp., a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., has spent at least P23.2 billion to build the connector road.

The project expects to serve an estimated 35,000 motorists daily.