Toll Plaza, Caloocan City and City of Manila
March 27, 2023

“This is indeed another achievement and undoubtedly, will significantly improve the mobility of people, of goods, and services not only within Metro Manila but also within in its environs,” said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. as he inaugurated another milestone project in the government’s infrastructure agenda with the first section of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Connector from Caloocan to España.

The President in his keynote speech emphasized that the opening of the project demonstrates the support to and acceleration of the momentum started by the previous administration in terms of infrastructure development, as well as his administration’s commitment to continue these projects in an effort to achieve its national development goals.

“Under the ‘Build, Better, More’ program, we will continue to push for the interconnectivity of major roads and expressways, as well as build even more roads and bridges in strategic places within our archipelago,” he conveyed.

The first section of the NLEX Connector is a five-kilometer elevated expressway that will pass through urbanized areas including C3 Road/5th Avenue, Blumentritt and España in Manila that is expected to ease traffic along España Boulevard, Abad Santos Avenue, Rizal Avenue and Lacson Avenue, and provide easier access to several areas including the University Belt.

With the entry and exit ramps located at C3 Road and España, the new elevated expressway will reduce travel time to and from Caloocan and Manila to just five (5) minutes, contributing to easier movement of cargo and goods, particularly those coming from the Port of Manila.

The Chief Executive acknowledged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Transportation (DOTr), NLEX Corporation and Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) for the completion of the project, underscoring the importance of public and private partnership as a defining factor in the overall development of the country.

“Ultimately, the positive effects of this project will speed up mobility and transactions, will spur economic productivity of the country,” he continued.

“We will not stop here. We will continue to develop a highly interconnected road network that will facilitate our country’s rapid, inclusive, and sustained economic growth,” President Marcos Jr. ended in his message.

The NLEX Connector in its entirety is a PhP23 billion project that stretches eight (8) kilometers from Caloocan to the vicinity of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Sta. Mesa, Manila. Once fully operational, it will serve around 35,000 vehicles daily.

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