THE LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE UNIT OF Hong Kong?s First Pacific Co. Ltd. has submitted a proposal to build a P17-billion, 13-kilometer elevated road that will connect the North and South Luzon expressways.

At a briefing Friday in Valenzuela City, Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC), a unit of local infrastructure giant Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), announced that it had submitted an unsolicited proposal to the Department of Public Works and Highways to build a new road, which will span from Tondo, Manila to Makati, linking the two expressways.

Once completed, the project, which will be known as the connector road, will cut the travel time between the two highways to as little as 15 minutes from several hours today.

MPTC is building a road to connect North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) to the North Harbor area in Tondo, Manila. The connector road will start from there to reach the Buendia segment of the Metro Manila Skyway, which is an elevated toll road from Makati to Muntinlupa.

With Skyway running over parts and eventually exiting into South Luzon Expressway (SLEx), the proposed road network effectively connects the latter to NLEx.

MPTC?s sister firm, Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC), currently operates NLEx. The group also holds a minority interest in the Skyway and is eyeing a substantial stake in SLEx.

If the company?s proposal is accepted, the company said it expects construction of the connector road to start by early next year.

MPTC president Ramoncito Fernandez said the company was in talks with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) for a concessional loan that can cover as much as 70-percent of the project cost.