NLEX to work on major projects, road enhancements this year

MANILA: NLEX Corporation will continue to undertake infrastructure enhancement and development initiatives this year to contribute to the country's economic growth.

“We will invest in major expansion and enhancement projects that are vital to the country’s economic resurgence and, at the same time, ease the travel of the motoring public as we seek to support the government’s call for the private sector to take part in nation-building,” NLEX Corporation President J. Luigi Bautista stated.

These major projects, which are targeted towards improving mobility, safety, and connectivity for the motorists, include the NLEX Connector and Candaba Third Viaduct.

The eight-kilometer NLEX Connector starts from the Caloocan Interchange on C3 Road up to the vicinity of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Sta. Mesa, Manila. It is expected to ease congestion in major thoroughfares in Metro Manila. Its first segment, which runs between the Caloocan and España interchanges, is 94 percent complete and is slated to open in the first quarter of the year. The second segment, which connects España and Sta. Mesa, is 29% complete.

The renovation of Magsaysay Boulevard, which has on- and off-ramps in Magsaysay and Sta. Mesa as part of the second segment's construction would also help improve segments of the Osmeña Highway, Nagtahan, Rizal Avenue Extension, G. Araneta Avenue, and A. Bonifacio Avenue. This will also give easier access to places like Manila City Hall, Quiapo Church, University Belt, Intramuros, Rizal Park, Gilmore, Cubao, and San Juan.

The construction of Candaba Third Viaduct will also begin in the first quarter of the year. The five-kilometer bridge will be widened from its current three lanes without a shoulder to three lanes with an inner and outer shoulder for each direction. Once completed, this new bridge will not only make travel safer and more convenient, but it will also allow faster travel by raising the maximum speed from 60kph to 80kph.

Photo from NLEX Corporation

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