ABOUT 20,000 motorists are expected to benefit starting next month from the new Malabon exit, which is part of the 2.6-kilometer C3-R10 Section of the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10.

“We estimate that about 20,000 vehicles will benefit from this alternative ramp,” Romulo S. Quimbo, Jr., NLEX Corp. senior vice-president for communication, said in a mobile phone message on Sunday.

The ramp from the new Caloocan Interchange, C3 Road, Caloocan City to Dagat-Dagatan Avenue will be partially operational next month. It will be called “Malabon exit,” Mr. Quimbo said.

The entire stretch of the C3-R10 Section from Caloocan City to Radial Road 10 (R10) in Navotas City will be opened to motorists in March. It will connect to the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10.

The 5.65-kilometer NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 is an elevated toll road that passes through Karuhatan, Valenzuela City, Governor Pascual Avenue in Malabon City, and 5th Avenue/C3 Road, Caloocan City.

Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark A. Villar was quoted as saying in a press release last Friday that the project is now “75% complete.”

“We are on track to open the C3 to Dagat-Dagatan Avenue by February and the entire C3-R10 Section by March to help decongest major roads such as EDSA and C5,” he said.

“With the full completion of the project, we expect to reduce travel time from Port Area to NLEX to just 10 minutes,” Mr. Villar added.

NLEX said the project will likewise benefit the transport logistics industry, noting that cargo trucks will have “24/7 access from the port to NLEX, sparing them from truck ban and congested local roads.” — Arjay L. Balinbin