By Emmie V. Abadilla
The 5.65-km portion of the P15.55 Billion North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Harbor Link segment 10 from Karuhatan, Valenzuela City to the new Caloocan Interchange in C3 Road, Caloocan City is set to open in a few days, providing an alternate corridor for motorists traveling through Central and North Luzon provinces, Valenzuela City and Quezon City to Manila.
“Around 30,000 vehicles will benefit from this new road,” Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar remarked in yesterday’s final inspection. “The NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 will be a traffic game changer since this will reduce travel time from C3 to NLEX to just 10 minutes.”
“The next phase of this project is the 2.6-km section from C3 Road, Caloocan City to R10, Navotas City which we hope to finish by the end of this year,” he added.
Because of the reduction in travel time, motorists will gain significant savings in vehicle operating costs and increase their productivity as they will not need to go through heavy traffic, Villar pointed out.
“This elevated expressway will be a big boost to our economy as billions of pesos will be saved annually with the improved travel time.”
With the direct access between NLEX and Manila Port, the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 benefits commercial vehicles, heavy trucks, in particular.
Truckers and freight forwarders can be spared the truck ban, enabling them to delivering goods to and from the provinces faster.
“Aside from connecting NLEX to key areas in Metro Manila, the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 can generate employment and increase land values in nearby communities,” noted NLEX Corporation President and General Manager Luigi Bautista.
“Metro Pacific remains committed in supporting the government in its infrastructure projects to improve accessibility between airports, seaports and growth corridors in both the north and south,” Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) President Rodrigo Franco concluded.