Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. on Tuesday said it expects to complete new toll road next year as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is accelerating the delivery of right of way (ROW) of major infrastructure projects. 

“During this period of infrastructure growth, the MPTC was able to construct and open four new game-changing expressways—the NLEX Harbor Link, the first section of Cavitex C5 Link, and the Laguna segment of Cavite-Laguna Expressway with a combined length of over 21 kilometers,”  Rodrigo E. Franco, president and chief executive  of MPTC. 

 “We are even confident that we would be able to complete an additional 48 kilometers of new toll roads by 2021, which include the NLEX Connector and the other segments of C5 Link and CALAX,” Franco added. 

MPTC operates North Luzon Expressway, Subic-Clark Tarmac Expressway, Mania-Cavite Expressway, C5 Link, Cavite Laguna Expressway and the under construction Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Project. 

NLEX Corporation President and General Manager J. Luigi L. Bautista cited DPWH for incessantly working to provide the necessary right-of-way for big-ticket projects such as the NLEX Harbor Link project. 

The NLEX Harbor Link, which traverses Brgy. Karuhatan, Valenzuela City; Tinajeros in Malabon City; Caloocan Interchange in Grace Park C3/5^th Avenue; and Navotas Interchange in North Bay Boulevard South, Navotas City, has cut travel time from Quezon City to the Port of Manila from two hours to 20 minutes. 

“Though the Harbor Link experienced some ROW concerns in the past, Secretary Villar’s team enabled us to catch up so we can finish the project and provide an efficient alternate route for the public,” said Bautista, highlighting that the recently opened 2.6-kilometer section was substantially completed in two years.

He also mentioned that the DPWH is also pushing for the 16-month completion of the 5-kilometer elevated extension of the Harbor Link to Anda Circle.

As the government’s PPP partner, MPTC and NLEX Corporation commit to continue providing fast, safe, and efficient transport infrastructure in the Philippines. NLEX is currently constructing the Connector Project which is the first public-private partnership project awarded during the term of President Rodrigo R. Duterte.