SHIVENDU SHUKLA-UNSPLASH

THE TOLL Regulatory Board (TRB) said it expects the full-scale construction of the P148.30-billion Northern Access Link Expressway (NALEX) project to commence in the fourth quarter.

“We already implemented what we call Balintawak Advanced Works for NALEX. So, by the last quarter of this year, we can do its full-blast implementation,” TRB Executive Director Alvin A. Carullo told reporters recently.

Mr. Carullo said the P152.39-billion SALEX, also known as the Southern Access Link Expressway, is expected to begin construction next year, pending the submission of the final engineering design of the project.

NALEX and SALEX are both components of the Greater Capital Region integrated expressways networks.

NALEX is divided into two phases: the first phase is a proposed 136.4-kilometer expressway connecting Metro Manila, the New Manila International Airport, and Central Luzon, while its second phase, involves a demand-driven expansion from Pampanga to Tarlac City.

SALEX is a planned 40.65-kilometer elevated expressway network consisting of the Shoreline Expressway and three extensions of the Metro Manila Skyway Stage.

Both projects were approved in 2022, with SMC Northern Access Link Expressway Corp. as the project investor and Skyway O&M Corp. as the operator. — Ashley Erika O. Jose