DMCI bags NLEx Connector project contract

A unit of infrastructure holding company Metro Pacific Investments Corp. has formally awarded the construction contract for a portion of the NLEx Connector project, a massive elevated expressway expected to cut traffic in Metro Manila by 2021.

Metro Pacific’s NLEx Corp. said on Tuesday that construction giant D.M. Consunji Inc. would build the first five-kilometer section of the 8-km NLEx Connector project that would link the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) and South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) in the country’s capital district.

The first phase covers the section from Grace Park, Caloocan City to Espana Street, Sampaloc, Manila. The whole toll road will connect to San Miguel Corp.’s Skyway Stage 3 in PUP Sta. Mesa in Manila.

The Skyway Stage 3 is part of Metro Manila’s southern toll road network, which includes the SLEx and Naia Expressway.

“Upon full completion in 2021, the NLEx Connector will significantly cut travel time from NLEx to SLEx by at least 60 percent,” Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar said on Tuesday.

“Instead of the usual two hours, travel time will now be reduced to about 20 minutes,” he said of the elevated expressway, which will also improve access to Manila’s seaports and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The NLEx Connector project will extend the NLEx southward from NLEx Harbor Link Segment 10 from the new Caloocan Interchange, which will also serve as a link for the 5.65-km NLEx Harbor Link Segment 10 and 2.6-km R-10 section.