A 2-KILOMETER section of the NLEx-C5 Northlink opened on Thursday ahead of the expected Undas traffic surge, providing motorists a direct link between Quirino Highway in Quezon City and the NLEx Mindanao Avenue Toll Plaza in Valenzuela City.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the final inspection and inauguration of Section 1A of the Northlink’s Segment 8.2, NLEX Corp. said.
The new section operates round the clock, accommodates all vehicle classes, and is expected to serve about 11,000 vehicles daily.
NLEX said the road would help ease congestion along Mindanao Avenue and Quirino Highway, shorten travel times, and improve the movement of people and goods.
Motorists from Quirino Highway can use the new section to access the NLEx Connector for trips to Manila, the University Belt and nearby cities, providing an alternative to EDSA.
Northbound motorists can reach the NLEx mainline through the Mindanao Toll Plaza for travel to Central Luzon, with onward connections to the Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway and Northern Luzon.
Section 1A forms part of the 11.3-kilometer NLEx–C5 Northlink Segment 8.2, which will extend from Mindanao Avenue to C5/C.P. Garcia Avenue near Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City. Once completed, the project is seen to improve connections between Northern and Southern Luzon through eastern Metro Manila.
The Northlink is a public-private partnership project, with the Toll Regulatory Board as government grantor, and NLEX Corp., a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., as private concessionaire.
Also attending the opening were Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon, Public Works Secretary Giovanni Lopez, Transportation Senior Undersecretary Mark Steven Pastor, Toll Regulatory Board Executive Director Jayart Tugade, Metro Pacific Tollways President and Chief Executive Gilbert Santa Maria, and NLEX President and General Manager Luis Reñon.
Local officials present included Valenzuela Mayor Wes Gatchalian, Valenzuela Rep. Kenneth Gatchalian and Quezon City Rep. Marivic Co-Pilar.
