The official opening of North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Harbor Link Segment 10, the elevated expressway that traverses the cities of Valenzuela, Malabon, and Caloocan, has been moved two days later to February 28.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) earlier announced that the 5.65-kilometer Segment 10, seen to improve accessibility and connectivity between key areas of Metro Manila and the northern provinces of Luzon, will open on February 26.
No explanation was offered for the two-day delay.
“The NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 will be a traffic game changer since this will drastically cut travel time from port area to NLEX,” DPWH secretary Mark Villar said in an earlier statement.
It is estimated that the travel time between C3 and NLEX will just be 10 minutes.
Villar added that once the segment is opened, around 30,000 vehicles daily will be diverted away from busy roads in Metro Manila.
And with the reduced travel time, motorists will gain significant savings in vehicle operating costs and increase their productivity as they need not go through heavy traffic.
“In a recent JICA [Japan International Cooperation Agency] study, traffic congestion in Metro Manila is [estimated to cost] the country P3.5 billion a day. This new road will be a big boost to our economy as billions of pesos will be saved annually with the improved travel time,” Villar said.
Segment 10 is being eyed to provide commercial vehicles, especially trucks, direct and quick access between NLEX and Manila Port. Villar said truckers and freight forwarders are expected to greatly benefit from the elevated expressway since cargo trucks will be spared from the truck ban, allowing for faster delivery of goods to and from the provinces.
Project concessionaire NLEX Corp. president and general manager Luigi Bautista said that “aside from connecting NLEX to key areas in Metro Manila, the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 is seen to bring more opportunities [to] nearby communities such as generation of employment and increase in land values.”
