By Lawrence Agcaoili (The Philippine Star) | Updated February 16, 2015 – 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines -Infrastructure giant Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) has earmarked another P5 billion to further extend the North Luzon expressway (NLEX) Harbour Link all the way to R10 Road in Tondo, Manila in a move aimed at decongesting the ports of Manila.
Rodrigo Franco, president of MPIC’s Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC), said the company is set to submit to the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) a plan to extend the NLEX Harbour Link to R10 Road instead of ending at the C3 Road in Caloocan City.
The NLEX Harbour Link is divided into two phases. The first phase worth P1.59 billion involves the construction of the 2.42-kilometer Segment 9 linking the 86.7-km NLEX to the MacArthur Highway in Valenzuela City, slated for completion next month. The second phase, on the other hand, covers the construction of the P10.6-billion 5.65-km Segment 10 from Valenzuela City all the way to C3 Road in Caloocan City.
“We are looking at further extending Segment 10 that ends in C3 to R10,” Franco said.
Under the original plan, he explained that Segment 10 was supposed to end at the R10 Road in Tondo. However, the project was designed to end in C3 on the assumption that the existing R10 Road was enough to handle the existing volume of vehicles.
“It was part of the original Segment 10. But when we designed Segment 10, we thought that portion from C3 to R10 could handle the volume of vehicles. But with the traffic now I think we need to extend Segment 10 all the way to R10,” he said.
According to him, the P5 billion investments would be used to build the additional two to three kilometers extending Segment 10 all the way to R10 Road in Tondo.
MNTC is also awaiting the green light from the TRB to pursue the P5-billion project to expand portions of NLEX with the construction of additional lanes.
Franco said the P650 million project for the integration of NLEX and the 94-km Subic-Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) is expected to start next month with the signing of an agreement with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) last Feb. 5.
He pointed out that the company is now looking for a contactor to undertake the civil works for the NLEX-SCTEX integration project to be completed before the end of the year.
“When the integration is finished before the year ends, motorists will only make two stops at toll plazas instead of five from Balintawak to Subic Tipo and back, and two stops instead of four from Balintawak to Tarlac and back,” he said.
Franco added that MNTC is set to take over the SCTEX concession after no counter proposals were submitted during the “Price Challenge” conducted by the BCDA last Jan. 30.
Senate President Franklin Drilon pushed for the integration collection systems of both toll roads after he got stuck in heavy traffic for 11 hours when he went to Baguio City last Dec. 26.
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