Manila---As one of the administration's battle to ease
traffic bottlenecks, President Rodrigo Duterte lauded the construction of the
NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10, calling it 'heaven' as the travel period between
Valenzuela to Caloocan will be cut from 1 hour to just 5 minutes.
"Travel time between Valenzuela City and Caloocan, for
example, will be reduced from one hour to about five minutes, "that’s
heaven," Duterte said in his speech during inauguration of NLEX Harbor
Link Segment 10 and the groundbreaking of the NLEX-SLEX Connector Road
Thursday.
Credit Image: https://www.projectlupad.com/nlex-segment-10-harbor-link-as-of-september-2018/
Duterte, who led the ceremony expects that the NLEX
Harbor Link Segment 10 will decongest major thoroughfares and improve linkages
going to Manila Port as the lanes will be available to public transport on
Friday.
The NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10, a 5.65-km, six-lane road
which traverses the cities of Valenzuela, Malabon and Caloocan is expected to
divert 20,000 vehicles daily away from the central eye of Metro Manila.
According to the Department of Public Works and Highways
(DPWH), the NLEX Harbor Link is seen to advance transport logistics as it will
serve as an alternative southbound route to Metro Manila bypassing Balintawak
Cloverleaf and EDSA which facilitates efficient delivery of goods as cargo
trucks will have 24/7 direct access from the port area to the provinces in
northern Luzon and vice versa via the NLEX.
"The expressway is seen to improve accessibility and connectivity
between key areas of Metro Manila and some provinces of Luzon via the North
Luzon Expressway," DPWH secretary Mark Villar said in a statement.
In line with this, Duterte expressed his will that the
administration is committed to its 10-point socioeconomic agenda, living in the
bayanihan spirit and strong sense of nationhood.
"This will definitely improve access and mobility in
the area and result in greater socio-economic gains for our industries and
communities. I am hopeful that the remaining portions of the NLEX Harbor Link
Project will be completed within the next two years," Duterte said.
The construction of 2.7-kilometer Segment 10 Exit Ramp to
Radial Road (R-10) is currently ongoing to extend NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10
up to R-10 using Circumferential Road 3 (C-3) as its route.
Segment 10 Exit Ramp to R-10 is targeted to be completed in
January 2020.
The DPWH said the full construction will further reduce
travel time from NLEX to Manila Port Area in Manila to only 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, simultaneous with the full opening of the NLEX
Harbor Link Segment 10 was the commencement of the two-year construction of the
P23.3-billion NLEX-SLEX Connector Road Project which will be started in May
this year.
The NLEX-SLEX connector road is eight kilometers, elevated,
and with four lanes. The expressway extends the NLEX southward from the end of
Segment 10 along C-3 Road Caloocan to the Polytechnic University of the
Philippines (PUP) in Sta. Mesa, Manila and connects to the Skyway Stage 3,
mostly along the Philippine National Railways (PNR) track.
The expressway is expected to reduce travel time between
NLEX and SLEX from two hours to just 20 minutes and between Clark, Pampanga and
Calamba, Laguna from three hours to just one hour and 40 minutes.
Likewise, travel between the Ninoy Aquino International
Airport (NAIA) and Clark Airport will improve and will benefit around 35,000
motorists a day.
"Identification of right-of-way requirement and most of
acquisition activities were completed hence the earlier as planned start
construction activities for the NLEX-SLEX connector road project," DPWH
secretary said.
Duterte, also expressed his gratitude for the people behind
the construction and the Filipinos who will benefit the most.
"All of the projects that we undertake and will do for
the rest of my term, [we] give our gratitude to the builders, to the
contractors, the partners of government and we place it in the name of the
people of the Republic of the Philippines," he said.
"Nobody can claim credit in the name of the people, it
is their money and for all of us," he added.
The conglomerate Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPTC)
bagged the contract to build the P23.3-billion connector road.
“NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 and NLEX Connector are just some
of Metro Pacific’s expansion projects geared towards providing further
convenience to motorists and bringing more opportunities in nearby cities and
provinces,” MPTC president and CEO Rodrigo Franco said.
