Finally, NLEx Harbor Link opens

MOTORISTS can expect shorter travel time from Quezon City to the Port Area in Manila with the opening on Monday of the new section of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) Harbor Link.

“The expanded NLEx Harbor Link will certainly boost the government’s traffic decongestion efforts in Metro Manila and other major thoroughfares. This will be an alternative route between Quezon City and Manila. From the Mindanao Toll Plaza, motorists may now reach [the] Port Area in Manila in about Q5 to 20 minutes,” Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark villar said.

The elevated section features the new Caloocan interchange with on and off ramps along Grace Park, the new Malabon Exit and the new Navotas Interchange.

Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. President and Chief Executive Officer Rodrigo Franco and NLEX Corp. President and General Manager J. Luigi Bautista

led the opening of the 2.V-kilometer section that expands the NLEx network to the Camanava (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela) area.

“By bringing NLEx closer to the country’s central shipping gateway, we expect to speed up transport of goods , s well as increased economic activities in Metro Manila and North and Central Luzon regions,” Bautista said.

The new section will introduce an alternative route for motorists and truckers. Cargo trucks will enjoy 24/7 access since there is no truck ban along the expressway.

“We worked overtime to deliver this piece of infrastructure that our metropolis needs not only to improve driving experience, but also to hasten economic recovery from the Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019I pandemic,” Franco said. “The impact of the ECq (enhanced community quarantine) has been challenging, but our commitment never wavered and our focus remained clear, and that is by resuming our infrastructure projects, we generate jobs and help quickly restart business activities.”