The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and NLEX Corporation are speeding up building the first 5-kilometer section of the P23-billion NLEX Connector from Caloocan Interchange, C3 to España, Manila so it will be finished by the end of this year.
The remaining 3 kms of the Connector road will be completed before the end of the Duterte administration, in 2022.
Right now, “Right-of-way delivery for the whole alignment stands at 81 percent, while construction progress is at 16 percent," according to Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark A. Villar who led yesterday’s (Jan. 20) project inspection along 4th Avenue in Caloocan City.
"With the commitment of both the public and private sectors, we are optimistic that we can finish the project as scheduled,” he added.
The project is made of Super T girders — innovative, pre-stressed box girders widely used for bridges in Australia and New Zealand but relatively new in the Philippine construction industry.
The newly installed Super T beams span 30 meters and weigh 53 tons.
Compared to other types of girders, Super T beams are more flexible, structurally efficient, and
aesthetically appealing.
They have open flanges that provide a complete working surface and reduce the need for formworks thus help fast-track the construction of the elevated expressway.
“Innovation is one of the core values of our company," noted NLEX Corporation President and General Manager J. Luigi L. Bautista.
"We are using Super T beams to advance our construction progress so we can soon complete this crucial infrastructure that would help decongest Metro Manila and solve truck ban woes,” he explained.
Over 1,400 girders will be used for the entire Connector project.
The structural format of a Super T provides an optimal solution to particular challenges posed by the Connector project, which passes through urbanized areas where the roads are already congested, and the right-of-way is constrained laterally.
Spanning a total of eight kilometers, the full NLEX Connector will be an all vehicle class elevated expressway that will traverse the C3 Road in Caloocan City pass through Abad Santos, Blumentritt, Dimasalang, España, Magsaysay Boulevard and eventually connect with the Metro Manila Skyway Stage
3 at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Sta. Mesa in Manila.
The NLEX Connector will feature four toll plazas and interchanges in C3 and España. It is seen to provide better access to Manila Ports (North Harbor) and airports (NAIA and Clark), and expected to reduce travel time between NLEX and South Luzon Expressway from two hours to just 20 minutes.
The project will also provide trucks with 24/7 alternative route, enabling unhampered delivery of goods and stimulating economic development in Manila, Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and surrounding areas.