Duterte inspects C3-R10 section of NLEx Harbor Link

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday led the inspection of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) Harbor Link C3-R10 section.

The 2.6-kilometer elevated expressway traverses from Caloocan Interchange and C3 Road in Caloocan City to Radial Road 10 in Navotas City.

The project is 90% complete. Full operations are targeted within the month.

In his speech, Duterte said an improved mobility was a “strong indicator of progress in any society.”

He also assured everyone that the government would pursue road infrastructure development throughout the country to improve the productive capacity of the economy, create more jobs and higher incomes and strengthen the investment climate.

“We need to work together to ensure that the strides we have made and the benefits of all our development efforts will be felt by all Filipinos. No one should be left behind or forgotten on the path [to] progress,” Duterte said.

The NLEx Harbor Link C3-R10 Section is among the flagship infrastructure projects under the government’s “Build, Build, Build” program aimed at moving the country forward and improving the lives of Filipinos by implementing major projects involving roads, expressways, bridges, railways, airports, and green cities.

“We are very excited that the vision of our President to bolster development and ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila is now becoming a reality with the NLEX Harbor Link nearing its completion,” Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said.

The new elevated expressway will reduce travel time between NLEx and R10 in Navotas City from 60 minutes to 10 minutes, ensuring timely delivery of goods to and from the ports of Manila.

The project aims to divert 30,000 vehicles daily away from the traffic choke points of Metro Manila.

Aside from improved movement of cargo in the North and South Harbor, the new expressway is expected to improve the daily traffic congestion in the cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela (CAMANAVA).

The C3-R10 Section will feature stone mastic asphalt surfacing, computerized toll collection and 24/7 traffic management systems, emergency parking areas with emergency call boxes, variable message signs, and closed-circuit television cameras.

Roadway lighting and weighing stations for commercial vehicles will also be available in the elevated expressway.

NLEx Corporation president and general manager J. Luigi Bautista cited that “apart from providing a traffic-free alternative to our commuters, the new NLEX Harbor Link C3-R10 Section will draw further investments while expanding opportunities in the countryside as it is being anticipated to improve accessibility and connectivity between key areas of Metro Manila and the northern provinces of Luzon.”

The C3-R10 Section is also being eyed to unleash the development potentials of CAMANAVA in terms of commercial activities, tourism, real estate, among others.

Last February 21, the Department of Public Works and Highways and NLEx Corporation opened the NLEX Harbor Link Malabon Exit which has since provided traffic congestion relief for commuters in the CAMANAVA area. —with Virgil Lopez/NB, GMA News