Caloocan to Espana section of NLEX Connector opens before Holy Week

First 5-kilometer section of NLEX Connector is nearly complete

Earlier this year, NLEX Corporation announced that the first segment of the soon-to-open NLEX Connector is 94% complete and they plan to open it in Q1 of 2023. The first 5-kilometer segment connects Caloocan to Espana in Manila and will extend the expressway southward from NLEX Harbor Link Caloocan Interchange.

Fast forward to March 2023, and the Department of Public Works & Highways (DPWH) announced that motorists would soon be able to enjoy seamless access from NLEX to Espana Boulevard in Manila as work on the first section of the NLEX Connector is set to be completed very soon.

According to DPWH Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan, the opening of the Caloocan to Espana segment should happen before Holy Week in order to help decongest traffic in Metro Manila, especially to and from Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela. Bonoan confirmed this when he, along with DOTr Secretary Jaime J. Bautista, NLEX Corporation president & general manager Jose Luigi L. Bautista, and MPTC Tollways Corporation president Rodrigo Franco inspected the NLEX Connector last March 1, 2023.

The first 5.15-kilometer portion of the NLEX Connector will have four lanes and will extend from the end of NLEX Segment 10 in C3 Road, Caloocan City to the Espana Interchange along Espana Boulevard in Manila.

As for the remaining second segment, which will span from Espana Boulevard to the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) – Sta Mesa, it is currently being fast-tracked to provide trucks with an alternate route for trucks from the ports to the south of the metro. The upcoming segment is also aimed at improving connectivity between Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and Clark International Airport added Bonoan.

Once the entire NLEX Connector project is finished, it will seamlessly connect NLEX Segment 10 to the end of Metro Manila Skyway 3 at the PUP in Sta. Mesa. This will also greatly reduce the travel time from SLEX-Alabang to NLEX-Balintawak from two hours to just 20 minutes.