MANILA, Philippines – The second section of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Connector between España and Sta. Mesa in Manila broke ground on Tuesday, December 14, in a ceremony led by the public works department and NLEX Corporation.

In a statement on Tuesday, Public Works Secretary Roger Mercado said the project is seen to be completed by end-2022, later than the earlier target of February 2022.

The eight-kilometer NLEX Connector uses portions of the Philippine National Railways right-of-way (ROW).

Mercado committed to providing the needed ROW for the project.

“Upon completion, the NLEX Connector will enable Manila ports to have a seamless north-south connection and provide further convenience to motorists with the decongestion of major thoroughfares like EDSA and C5,” said Mercado.

On Tuesday, NLEX Corporation also signed an agreement with China Road and Bridge Corporation for the civil works contract of the project.

“This new elevated expressway hopes to support the country’s economic recovery by helping reduce traffic congestion in the metro and offering those with private cars and commercial vehicles ease of travel,” said Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation president Rodrigo Franco.

The first five kilometers of the tollway, which starts from NLEX Harbor Link Caloocan Interchange to España, is at 60% completion.

The entire NLEX Connector will be passing through C3 Road, España Boulevard, R. Magsaysay Boulevard, and eventually, will be connected to Skyway 3 within the vicinity of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Sta. Mesa. – Rappler.com