Saturday, February 07, 2009 [ manilatimes.net ]
By Chino S. Leyco, Reporter
THE construction of expressway that will link Mindanao Avenue to North Luzon Expressways (NLEX) will begin next month, Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) said Friday.
In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, MPIC said the construction of NLEX-Segment 8.1 would be completed by April 2010.
NLEX Segment 8.1 is 2.7 two-lane kilometer expressway that will link Mindanao Avenue to the main artery that connects Metro Manila to Northern Luzon.
According to plans, a toll plaza will be build on Mindanao Avenue where motorists can enter and exit the NLEX, thereby easing the traffic congestion on EDSA Balintawak.
The concession company for the 84-kilometer NLEX, Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC) is majority-owned by First Philippine Infrastructure Investments (FPII), a unit of MPIC.
FPII, which was bought from the Lopezes in August last year, will soon be named Metro Pacific Tollways Corp.
“Segment 8.1 will facilitate a seamless connection of C-5 to the world-class NLEX, one of the priorities of President Arroyo in her bid to decongest Metro Manila and provide relief to motorists dealing with heavy traffic everyday,” Ramoncito Fenandez, FPII president and chief executive, said.
MNTC’s Segment 8.1 teams are expediting the remaining construction components and are coordinating with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Toll Regulatory Board and other government agencies for completing the remaining right-of-way requirement of the project.
“We expect the construction activities to stimulate the economy in the environs of the areas where the roadway will be build—and will directly create some 600 jobs,” Rodrigo Franco, MNTC president and chief executive, said.
While MNTC will build the 2.7 stretch, the DPWH, Metro Manila Development Authority and the Quezon City government are jointly overseeing the parallel efforts of building the road and other infrastructure connecting Mindanao Avenue to C-5 through Katipunan Avenue.
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