The tollway unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. said it will start the construction of the P23-billion expressway linking North Luzon Expressway and South Luzon Expressway by 2018.
Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. president and chief executive Rodrigo Franco said it hired the services of Snowy Mountain Engineering Corp. for the detailed design of the NLEx-SLEx Connector Road.
“We hope the detailed design would be completed by early next year,” Franco said.
He said actual construction would start 2018 and would be completed by 2020.
The government has 30 months from signing of toll concession agreement to deliver right-of-way access.
The concession agreement on the project is expected to be signed this month.
“We are hoping though that the government can deliver the RoW in sections to enable us to start sectional construction before the 30-month deadline,” Franco said.
The project is an unsolicited proposal approved by the National Economic and Development Authority under the build-operate-transfer scheme for the design, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of an eight-kilometer elevated toll expressway over the right of way of Philippine National Railways.
The project starts at the junction of NLEx Segment 10 at C-3 Road/5th Ave. in Caloocan City and seamlessly connects to South Luzon Expressway though Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 Project in Manila.
Franco said the company would invest P15.74 billion in NLEx-SLEx project, while the government would spend P7.46 billion for right-of-way acquisition.
The Public Works Department will implement the project, with a total estimated cost of P23.2 billion and a concession period of 35 years.
Citra Metro Manila Tollways Corp., which is separately constructing the P26.7-billion Skyway Stage 3 Project, will build the five-kilometer common alignment from Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Sta. Mesa, Manila to Buendia in Makati City that will connect to NLEx-SLEx project.