NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 to be completed by June 15 —DPWH

The North Luzon Expressway's Harbor Link Segment 10 is now expected to be completed by June 15—three months later than scheduled, due to the suspension of construction works amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said Sunday.

In a statement, the DPWH said deck slab concreting works at the project are now at 100% with final completion expected in the next three weeks.

"We are glad to announce that another flagship project, the R-10 Exit Ramp of NLEX Harbor Link, is now back on track and is expected to be completed by June 15," said DPWH Secretary Mark Villar.

"When completed, the Harbor Link project is expected to cut travel time from Quezon City to Manila from 2 hours to only 10 minutes," he added.

To recall, full operations of the segment were targeted in March, but works were stopped due to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) placed over Metro Manila and other high-risk areas.

The elevated expressway is expected to reduce travel time between NLEx and R10 in Navotas City to 10 minutes from the current 60 minutes.

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

Aside from the 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 project was inspected by President Rodrigo Duterte early March, along with key officials from the private sector partners under the public-private partnership program (PPP).

Under the concession agreement, NLEX Corp. will take over the project which involves 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.

One of the public officials who attended the event, one was reported to have tested positive for the coronavirus disease. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA News