DPWH set to hire 1,500 workers to fast track NLEX-SLEX connector

NLEX Corporation announced that it is hiring 1,500 personnel and mobilizing more equipment on-site, to accelerate the completion of the 8-kilometer connector road that will link the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).

More workers and equipment are needed to expedite the completion of the NLEX-SLEX Connector project

According to NLEX President and General Manager J. Luigi L. Bautista, the vacancies are for technical and skilled workers and will prioritize overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have been displaced and unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Being a government partner in infrastructure-building, NLEX Corporation and the entire Metro Pacific Tollways group are keen in helping the economy recover from the adverse effects of the pandemic. With our ongoing projects, we can create more opportunities for people, thus propel growth in the country,” he said.

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Travel time between NLEX and SLEX is projected to be cut down to just 20 minutes from the current two hours

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The first five-kilometer section of the project encompasses Grace Park in Caloocan City to España St. in Sampaloc, Manila. Bautista estimates that more than 1,500 workers will be needed to speed up construction works.

Both the Department of Public Works (DPWH) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) are encouraging private companies involved in government infrastructure projects to provide job opportunities to repatriated OFWs, especially those who have previous experience in construction work.

More than 35,000 motorists are seen to benefit from the project

“We are looking at our massive infrastructure projects as key employment generators. Apart from building roads and bridges to spur economic development, this administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program is also geared toward providing livelihood to fellow Filipinos,” remarked DPWH Secretary Mark Villar.

He previously said that the yearly increase in infrastructure budget had managed to generate more than 6.5 million jobs in the last four years.

Set to be completed by 2021, the Php 23 billion NLEX Connector is intended to reduce travel time from NLEX to SLEX from two hours to just 20 minutes, and provide improved accessibility for cargo trucks bound for the North and South Harbor in Metro Manila, as well as international airports such as NAIA and Clark.

More traffic-related infrastructure updates at Philkotse.com.