MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Friday, February 1, started the construction of a new interchange crossing the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), in a bid to decongest traffic in the nearby Bulacan road network.

Public Works Secretary Mark Villar led the groundbreaking ceremony of the Ciudad de Victoria interchange in Bocaue, Bulacan, on Friday morning, with Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Senator Joel Villanueva, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, lawmakers, and Bulacan officials.

NLEX Corporation Chairman Manuel V Pangilinan also joined the event. 

“The new NLEX interchange is regarded as one of the government’s traffic decongestion projects aimed at improving the Bulacan road network particularly Bocaue, Sta Maria, Pandi, Norzagaray, San Jose del Monte, and Marilao, as well as boosting economic activities in nearby communities,” Villar said.

The P653-million Ciudad de Victoria interchange project has 3 phases:

• First phase: Construction of 1.93-kilometer road by adding two lanes to the existing Bulacan Municipal Road. A bridge will be constructed to cross NLEX to Philippine Arena.
• Second phase: Improvement of a 1.91-kilometer road from Manila North Road or MacArthur Highway to Bocaue Municipal Road, as well as the completion southbound acceleration and deceleration lanes for vehicles headed to Philippine Arena
• Third phase: Construction of a 1.3-kilometer road from the Philippine Arena to the existing Patubig Road in Marilao

For the first phase, the 1.93-kilometer road segment will begin near the Bocaue Municipal Hall to reach Sta Maria town, serving as an alternate road to the heavily congested Governor F Halili Road to cross east to west. (LOOK: Proposed road network projects in Bulacan)

Villar also said that the interchange will help “shorten long queues at the busy Bocaue NLEX toll gates.”

A service road will also be constructed to serve as an access road for vehicles coming from Bocaue to Marilao and vice versa, without entering and paying toll fees at the NLEX.

The first phase of the project is eyed for completion by October this year, ahead of the opening ceremony of the Southeast Asian Games which will be held at the Philippine Arena.

The Philippine Arena, by far the world’s largest indoor arena, opened in 2014 with a capacity of 55,000 people. It is owned by Iglesia Ni Cristo. 

According to the DPWH project briefer, P300 million of the total cost has been released under the 2018 General Appropriations Act.

DPWH targets to complete the entire project by mid-November this year. DPWH Central Luzon gave contractor LR Tiqui Builder 300 days to construct the road network. – Rappler.com