NLEX Corp. said Thursday it awarded a P6.1-billion contract to CIMIC Group’s Leighton Asia-Philippines Branch for the design and construction of the new five-kilometer third Candaba viaduct.
“After a thorough bidding process and evaluation, we have awarded the project to Leighton Asia. We trust their knowledge and expertise when it comes to building safe and high-quality roads and bridges, having completed a lot of our major projects, with the NLEX Harbor Link as the most recent one,” NLEX president and general manager J. Luigi Bautista said.
Situated between Pulilan, Bulacan and Apalit, Pampanga, the Candaba Viaduct is a strategic expressway link that has been serving Metro Manila and Central and North Luzon corridor for several years.
A new bridge will be built in the middle of the two existing viaducts, which is set to start within first quarter of the year until 2024 to enhance motorists’ safety and mobility.
The Candaba 3rd Viaduct Project will make travel safer and easier as it expands the road from three lanes without shoulder to three lanes with inner and outer shoulder in each direction, according to NLEX Corp.
“We are honored to build on our long-term partnership with NLEX Corp., whom we have worked for over two decades to enhance the transportation network in the Philippines,” Leighton Asia Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia general manager Jan Torka said.
“We will apply Leighton Asia’s international expertise and local experience to ensure the safe and successful delivery of this project,” Torka said.
NLEX continues to make viable engineering interventions to improve the capacity and serviceability of the Candaba Viaduct. It is undertaking a major safety upgrade of the southbound portion of the viaduct to further ensure the safety of motorists.
NLEX upgraded some priority bridge link slabs, strengthened columns through steel jacketing and constructed lay-bys or emergency stops in both northbound and southbound directions of the bridge.
NLEX Corp. is a subsidiary of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., the toll road arm of the Metro Pacific Investments Corp. Leighton Asia is the CIMIC Group’s construction-focused business in Asia.