LIFELINE The Candaba viaduct along the North Luzon Expressway connecting Bulacan and Pampangas is not just being repaired. A third bridge is being constructed in the middle of the structure to carry cargo trucks—as pushed by the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
The operator of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) has lined up P8 billion worth of road expansion and widening projects this year to decongest heavy traffic.
NLEx Corp. president and general manager J. Luigi Bautista, in an interview with reporters, said they were targeting to start the P1.5-billion NLEx C5 Link Segment 8.2 Section 1A and P6.5-billion NLEx Phase 3 Widening projects by the third quarter.
The portion of the C5 Link project is a two-kilometer toll road linking Mindanao Avenue to Quirino Highway in Novaliches. The Pangilinan-led company has already acquired 78 percent of the right-of-way (ROW) requirements.
“Once we get the substantial ROW, we’ll start building. If we start building in the third quarter, we should be able to finish in less than one year,” Bautista said.
On the other hand, NLEx Corp. is awaiting the Toll Regulatory Board’s approval for the road widening project linking NLEx San Fernando to Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway Spur in Pampanga.
Included in the project is the installation of roadway lighting infrastructure and construction of the Mexico interchange.
The Candaba 3rd Viaduct project, meanwhile, is on track to open by November. The 5-km toll road—linking Apalit, Pampanga, and Pulilan, Bulacan,—will be built between two existing viaducts, expanding road capacity.
“The two existing viaducts are close to 50 years old already. While we are continuing to maintain its serviceability, we really need to build more capacity and a stronger structure,” Bautista said.
Another project in the pipeline is the 15-km NLEx-Cavitex (Manila-Cavite Expressway) Port Expressway Link. Motorists will be given a direct route from Cavite to Manila port area once it is completed.
In January, the company opened the new F. Raymundo Exit in Brgy. Pandayan for Class 1 vehicles and finished the widening of the Meycauayan northbound exit ramp.
The new exit is an alternative route for those going to Iba/Camalig, Metrogate, Lias, Lambakin, and Pantoc, F. Raymundo and Antonio Streets. Meanwhile, the additional lane in Meycauayan northbound exit ramp will cater to motorists going to Malhacan.