The North Luzon Expressway-South Luzon Expressway (NLEX-SLEX) Connector Road España section (section 1) is now officially open to motorists.
NLEX-SLEX Connector Section 1 is now completed and open
This new NLEX-SLEX Connector Section 1’s opening lines up with our previous report for the said project, meaning that the government has indeed hit its target completion date.
To celebrate the opening of the NLEX-SLEX Connector Section 1, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), together with the North Luzon Expressway Corporation (NLEX Corp.) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) held an inauguration ceremony.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, DPWH Secretary Jaime Bautista, and NLEX Corporation President Jose Luigi Bautista were present during the said event. The Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) was also represented at the event by its Chairman, Manuel Pangilinan.
According to President Marcos Jr., the NLEX Connector is crucial as it will smoothen travel from North to South and vice versa, and it also can benefit the economy by easing the movement of goods and cargo. The new toll road may also serve as an alternate route for truckers who want to avoid the traffic on Metro Manila’s main roads.
Commuters and the riding public will also benefit from the new toll road as it may be able to ease traffic. This allows the latter to “spend more quality time with their families” said DOTr Secretary Bautista.
The President and other officials on a short tour of the newly opened toll road [Photo: NLEX Corp.]
Spanning 5.15 kilometers, Section 1 of the NLEX-SLEX Connector provides a short five-minute travel time between Caloocan to España Boulevard, Manila. It features entry and exit ramps on the C3 Road and España, and it passes over highly urbanized, and often congested areas around Caloocan City, as well as Blumentritt and España in Manila.
Other than providing easy access from North to South and vice versa, the DOTr says that the new road section may also alleviate congestion on España Boulevard, Abad Santos Avenue, Rizal Avenue, and Lacson Avenue.
As a whole, the project is worth around Php 23 billion. Other future sections will be made and will go all the way from Caloocan City down to Sta. Mesa, Manila.
In total, the completed NLEX-SLEX Connector will span eight kilometers, and it will be able to handle up to 35,000 motorists every day whilst providing easier travel to and from major airports like the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and Clark International Airport (CRK).
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