DPWH Sec. Villar says the NLEX SLEX connector will open in 2021

As part of the EDSA decongestion master plan, another roadway is already under construction which will serve as another connection between Northern Luzon Expressway and the Southern Luzon Expressway. Aptly named the NLEX SLEX connector, the elevated roadway stretches 8 kilometers and will connect from NLEX Harbor Link to the Skyway. This will give motorists and truckers who need to traverse from the Port of Manila to the northern or southernmost parts of the Metro a more direct route. The new four-lane road will be passing through the C3 Road in Caloocan City, through Abad Santos, Dimasalang, Magsaysay, and will eventually connect up with Skyway Stage 3. It will also have four toll plazas along with interchanges in C3 and Espana.

Working together with the recently opened Skyway Stage 3, it is hoped that these two new roads, once simultaneously operational, will help reduce the amount of traffic on EDSA. 

The 8-kilometer stretch of road, according to DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, will have 3 exits. The first of which will be in the Santa Mesa Manila area, the second will be along España Boulevard, and the last exit will be on the C3 road near the Harbor Link area.  

In order to make sure that the NLEX SLEX connector roadway opens within 2021, the DPWH has recently launched a new technology called “Super T” girders. The new girders are said to be lighter and more durable than conventional box girders. These new girders also have open flanges at the bottom that provide better working spaces which in turn reduces the need for formworks. The DPWH says that over 1,400 “Super T” girders will be used for the entire connector project and should streamline the process of construction.

According to Villar, the construction progress of the NLEX SLEX connector is currently at just 16%. However, he also added that the right-of-way delivery for the whole project is already at 81% making sure that at the very least the first 5-kilometers of the road will be ready by the end of 2021.