This is part of the still toll-free North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Connector, which connects lanes from Caloocan City’s C3 to España, from España going to Port Area and from Port Area to España in Manila. (File photo by CARMELLA REYES-ESTROPE / Inquirer Central Luzon)
MANILA, Philippines — North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) Corp. is hoping the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) will approve by next month its toll fees for the NLEx Connector as it has been incurring hundreds of thousands of pesos in losses daily.
The Connector is currently being used for free by motorists since opening the first segment in March.
J. Luigi Bautista, NLEx Corp. president and general manager, told reporters in a recent interview their proposed toll fee was P86 (Class 1) for the Caloocan-España segment of the 8-kilometer (km) NLEx Connector.
Class 1 vehicles include cars, jeepneys, vans, pick-ups, and certain motorcycles.
The first segment of the toll road linking Caloocan and Sta. Mesa, Manila, which was inaugurated on March 27, sees daily motorist volume of about 5,500, Bautista said.
This means the tollway company is losing approximately P473,000 in daily revenues. Motorists have been using NLEx Connector without charge for nearly three months now, Bautista said.
Meanwhile, the España-Sta. Mesa segment will welcome motorists by August, the company official said. Substantial completion of the said interchanges is expected by next month.
For the entire toll road, Bautista said they were requesting a P125 toll fee (Class 1).
PPP project
The NLEx Connector is a public-private partnership (PPP) project between the Department of Public Works and Highways and NLEx Corp., which seeks to reduce the travel time of cargo going to and from the north and south of Luzon.
Last week, the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) unit held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Candaba third Viaduct project at the NLEx.
The P7.89-billion infrastructure—linking Apalit, Pampanga, and Pulilan, Bulacan—will be built between the two existing viaducts, which will expand road capacity.
Bautista said this would increase the speed limit to 60 to 80 km per hour (kph) from the current 40 to 60 kph.
On June 15, the toll rate adjustment for NLEx was implemented. The TRB approved an additional P7 in the open system and P0.36 per km in the closed system.
The open system covers travel from Navotas, Valenzuela, and Caloocan to Marilao, Bulacan, while the closed system includes Bocaue, Bulacan, and Sta. Ines, Mabalacat City.