NLEx Corp. chooses Leighton Asia to construct 3rd Candaba viaduct

VITAL LINK The Candaba viaduct along the North Luzon Expressway is a vital infrastructure linking the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga to Metro Manila. It has been identified by disaster response officials as a lifeline for residents once a strong earthquake hits the National Capital Region. —PHOTO COURTESY OF NLEX CORP.

NLEx Corp. has tapped construction company Leighton Asia for the development of the third Candaba viaduct, which is seen to cost P6.1 billion.

The unit of Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC), in a statement on Thursday, said it inked the agreement with the Philippine branch of Leighton to design and construct the five-kilometer infrastructure project.

The Candaba Viaduct is a causeway over the swamps between Pulilan in Bulacan and Apalit in Pampanga. It links Metro Manila to Central and North Luzon.

A new bridge will be constructed in the middle of two existing viaducts to give motorists smoother travel. The construction is set to start within the first quarter and will likely be finished by next year.

“After a thorough bidding process and evaluation, we have awarded the project to Leighton Asia. We trust their knowledge and expertise when it comes to building safe and high-quality roads and bridges, having completed a lot of our major projects, with the NLEx Harbor Link as the most recent one,” NLEx Corp. president and general manager J. Luigi Bautista said.

Jan Torka, Leighton Asia general manager in the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, said they would “apply Leighton Asia’s international expertise and local experience to ensure the safe and successful delivery of this project.”

Reduce travel time

NLEx had said it would continue to roll out infrastructure developments to help the Philippines achieve its growth targets.

Among its projects is the NLEx Connector, which is an 8-km toll road connecting Caloocan and Sta. Mesa, Manila.

A public-private partnership project with the Department of Public Works and Highways, it seeks to reduce the travel time of cargo going to and from the north and south of Luzon.

The expressway is also designed to decongest traffic on major thoroughfares, including España Boulevard, Abad Santos Avenue, Rizal Avenue and Lacson Avenue, as it is projected to cater to 3,000 trucks daily.

“We will invest in major expansion and enhancement projects that are vital to the country’s economic resurgence and, at the same time, ease the travel of the motoring public as we seek to support the government’s call for the private sector to take part in nation-building,” Bautista earlier said.