NLEx segment C3-R10 to open in June
By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
NLEX Corp. targets to open by end-June the 2.6-kilometer C3-R10 Section of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) Harbor Link Segment that is expected to improve commuter mobility between airports, seaports, and growth corridors in the north and south.
“[We are] targeting opening by end of next month, June,” NLEX Corp. Senior Vice-President for Communication Romulo S. Quimbo, Jr. told BusinessWorld in a phone message on Wednesday.
He was referring to the elevated C3-R10 Section of the NLEx Harbor Link Segment 10, which is now 95% complete.
The segment goes through the new Caloocan Interchange in C3 Road, Caloocan City to Radial Road 10, and Navotas City. It connects to the opened NLEx Harbor Link Segment 10 that traverses Karuhatan, Valenzuela City, Governor Pascual Avenue in Malabon City, and 5th Avenue/C3 Road, Caloocan City.
NLEx opened the Malabon Exit of the Harbor Link C3-R10 Section in February. The entire expressway was expected to be operational in March, but it did not materialize when President Rodrigo R. Duterte locked down the island of Luzon to contain a coronavirus pandemic.
Mr. Quimbo said over the weekend that the company had resumed work on its major projects as the National Capital Region shifted to a more relaxed community quarantine. Among those projects are the construction of the Harbor Link C3-R10 expressway and the rehabilitation of the five-kilometer Candaba Viaduct in Pampanga.
In a news release on Wednesday, the company said construction activities on the NLEx Connector and the Subic Freeport Expressway (SFEx) Capacity Expansion have also resumed.
According to Mr. Quimbo, there would be “slight adjustments” in the projects’ timelines to completion. “Our planning teams are now confirming the delivery dates. We are always ready to accelerate the project delivery,” he said.
Public and private construction projects have been allowed to resume under the “modified enhanced” community quarantine but workers must be housed and fed onsite and observe physical distancing rules, among other requirements for construction work during the pandemic.
“We have complied with the safety protocols laid out by the government for the implementation of infrastructure projects amid modified enhanced community quarantine,” NLEX Corp. President and General Manager J. Luigi L. Bautista was quoted as saying in the release.
“With the acceleration of these projects, we can help the government in its aim to revitalize the economy despite the ongoing health crisis,” he added.
NLEX Corp. said it would also resume work on the additional lanes at Clark South Toll Plaza.
“Despite the challenging times, our team remains committed to accomplish our big-ticket projects and continue the 24/7 service to our customers and other stakeholders,” Mr. Bautista said.
