MEYCAUAYAN CITY, Bulacan (PIA) — The NLEX Corporation is advising motorists traveling southbound after the Undas break to use the NLEX Connector Road to help ease the expected buildup of traffic in the Bulacan segment of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).
NLEX Corporation Vice President for Traffic Operations Robin Ignacio underscored the importance of the 8-kilometer elevated expressway in decongesting the Balintawak Cloverleaf in Quezon City, where NLEX and Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) intersect.
Motorists can access the four-lane NLEX Connector Road via the westbound Mindanao Avenue interchange toward the NLEX Harbor Link, which starts in Karuhatan, Valenzuela City.
By taking this elevated route, motorists can bypass heavily congested southbound portions of NLEX, particularly between Meycauayan City and Pulilan, Bulacan.
The ₱23.2-billion NLEX Connector Road currently has open entry and exit ramps along España Boulevard and Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard in the City of Manila.
These access points comprise Section 1 and part of Section 2 of the project, which was constructed by DM Consunji Inc. (DMCI).
Through this route, motorists traveling from North and Central Luzon bound for Cubao in Quezon City or Nagtahan in Manila can skip EDSA entirely by exiting at the Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard ramp.
Likewise, those heading to Quezon Avenue, G. Araneta Avenue, or the Sampaloc district of Manila may exit through the España ramp for a more direct route.
The remaining unfinished section of the NLEX Connector, which will link to Skyway Stage 3 in Sta. Mesa, Manila, is being fast-tracked by the China Road and Bridge Corporation.
Once completed, this linkage will provide a seamless connection between the northern and southern expressway systems.
The NLEX Connector Road is the first barrier-free tollway in the country, serving as a model for future toll collection systems.
The project began construction in 2019, was partially opened in 2023, and is being implemented under a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) public-private partnership scheme.
Originally approved during the Arroyo administration in 2010, the concession was formally awarded to NLEX Corporation in July 2016.
According to Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) Executive Director Atty. Jose Arturo Tugade Jr., the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is set to implement a multi-lane free-flow program nationwide to support the transition to fully barrier-free toll plazas.
Meanwhile, Ignacio reminded motorists that they can also reach the NLEX Connector faster by using designated zipper lanes along the Bulacan segment of NLEX, particularly from the Sta. Rita Interchange in Guiguinto to the Bocaue Toll Plaza.
Another zipper lane is being prepared from Marilao to the Balintawak Toll Plaza to help manage post-Undas traffic.
When activated, zipper lanes temporarily utilize one or two lanes of the opposite roadway for counterflow operations, allowing smoother vehicle movement in congested directions. (MJSC/SFV, PA Region 3-Bulacan)
