DMCI gets the contract to build the NLEX Connector Road

1. The NLEX connector is on schedule

The Department of Public Works and Highways has announced that the expressway segment connecting the North Luzon and South Luzon Expressways is still on track to be completed by 2020.

This road will connect the two highways, beginning at the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 located at PUP Sta. Mesa in Manila, and terminating at the new Caloocan Interchange on C3 Road in Caloocan City.

A map of the NLEX Connector road project. [Source: Primer.com.ph]

Once completed, the NLEX connector segment is projected to reduce the travel time between NLEX and SLEX by 60%. That translates to about 20 minutes, significantly shorter than the current 60-minute travel time.

Apart from reducing traffic, another significant benefit of the link is that it will provide better access to the Manila's ports, as well as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Clark International Airport, which is also expected to improve economic growth in Manila and adjacent cities.

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2. DMCI to start working on the NLEX connector project

Another key development is that DM Consunji Inc. or DMCI has been awarded a PhP 8 billion contract for the critical first phase of the said project. This initial segment of the connector road will stretch from Grace Park, Caloocan to España St., in Sampaloc, Manila.

DPWH Secretary Mark Villar together with DMCI executives during the contract awarding ceremony

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The second phase will run from España, Manila to PUP in Sta. Mesa, and is set to be completed around March of 2020. For this second phase, however, another contractor will have to be appointed.  

All in all, the NLEX connector road project, once completed, will span a total of 8 kilometers, with a project cost of around PhP 8 billion.

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