MPTC eyes linking NLEX, Skyway 3
We’re willing to do the interconnection. The Toll Regulatory Board can always amend their concession because the 1.2-kilometer project is part of the Skyway concession
Daily TribuneWe’re willing to do the interconnection. The Toll Regulatory Board can always amend their concession because the 1.2-kilometer project is part of the Skyway concession
Photograph by Maria Romero for the Daily Tribune
Toll road concessionaire Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. seeks to build a road spanning 1.2 kilometers that will connect the 8-kilometer NLEX Connector to the 18-kilometer Skyway Stage 3 seamlessly connecting Metro Manila's northern and southern parts.
In an interview with reporters on Thursday, MPTC chief financial Chris Lizo said the company reached out to the Department of Public Works and Highways to express its willingness to build and finance the project
"We're willing to do the interconnection. The Toll Regulatory Board can always amend their concession because the 1.2-kilometer project is part of the Skyway concession," Lizo told reporters.
Lizo also said MPTC is ready to add another P2 billion to the project cost of the NLEX Connector Project to build the link.
The interconnection road, which is part of the detailed engineering design of the Skyway 3 project, will connect Section 2 of the NLEX Connector (España-PUP Sta. Mesa) to Skyway 3's Plaza Dilao segment of the San Miguel Corp.
Alternative alignment
While the company has yet to secure approval from the DPWH, Lizo said the MPTC will look for alternative alignment to push through with the project.
According to Lizo, an interconnection road that will directly connect the Skyway Stage 3 and the NLEX Connector will allow Class 3 vehicles or trucks from Port Area to easily travel to the southern part of Metro Manila.
As early as January 2021, SMC already announced that it will start the construction of the project but right-of-way acquisition was a challenge.
The NLEX Connector is a four-lane, all-vehicle class elevated expressway. It spans eight kilometers and terminates in the vicinity of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Sta. Mesa, Manila.
