THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is hoping to reach an agreement soon with the Metro Pacific Group to extend the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) to Anda Circle in Manila’s Port Area, after the completion of the 2.6-kilometer NLEx Harbor Link Segment 10 C3-R10 Section.

“That’s something that we are looking at right now. Since we have already finished this extension to R10, logically there is an opportunity to extend it further up to the area in the Anda Circle, so that from Roxas Boulevard, halos diretso na, makaka akyat na sila (It will be nearly a straight run and users will be able to enter the expressway). That’s something that we are working on with the Metro Pacific Group,” Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar told reporters via Zoom Saturday.

The NLEx Harbor Link Segment 10 C3-R10 Section, which will be opened to the public today, Monday, is an elevated expressway from Caloocan Interchange, C3 Road, Caloocan City to Radial Road 10, Navotas City.

NLEX Corp. submitted to the DPWH in December its proposal to extend the NLEx Harbor Link Segment 10 from Navotas City to Anda Circle.

The estimated cost of the proposed 5.1-kilometer expressway extension project, which will be officially called the Harbor Link Port Access Mobility Facility, is P15 to P16 billion, according to Romulo S. Quimbo, Jr., NLEX Corp. senior vice-president for communication.

An Anda Circle toll road would effectively capture northbound cargo vehicles emerging from the port and eliminate the need for such vehicles to use the regular road network.

The NLEx Harbor Link Segment 10, which officially opened in March 2019, is a P15.55-billion project with private concessionaire NLEX Corp.

NLEX Corp. is controlled by Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., the tollways unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., one of three key Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT, Inc.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Arjay L. Balinbin

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