Friday, November 17, 2017

NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 to be operational by early 2018

NLEX Corporation eyeing to complete Harbor Link 10 by the end of Q1 next year

A faster, more convinient way of getting to and from the Port Of Manila will soon be accessible to both motorists and truckers come next year. In fact, expect the new road to be up and running sometime in the middle of 2018.

NLEX Corporation, along with Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC) and the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) recently inspected the ongoing construction of the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10. 

Key persons that were present during the inspection included Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, Department of Budget Managment Secretary Benjamin Diokno, MPIC president Jose Maria Lim and NLEX Corporation senior vice president for Tollways Development and Engineering Raul Ignacio.

“We expect to finish the project by early next year, anticipating complete delivery of the remaining right-of-way by end of this month,” said Ignacio.

Currently, the NLEX Corporation accelerated construction of the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 on the recently turned over 'right-of-way' areas in Valenzuela and Caloocan. This was made possible through the efforts of the DPWH, local governments units (LGUs) of Caloocan and Valenzuela and Philippine National Railway (PNR) management. The areas that were recently cleared included the Poblacion Market in Caloocan City and the Tullahan River-San Francisco area in Valenzuela City.

“We are fast tracking the turnover of the remaining right-of- way needed to complete Segment 10. With the help of our Infra Track App, we will be able to closely monitor the developments of projects like this that will decongest Metro Manila and boost investments in the country,” added Villar.

In addition, the DPWH also plan to put an end to ghost projects via drones, geotagging and satellite technology. With it, Villar said that it will enable their regional and district offices to monitor infrastructure projects in real time and root out dubious ghost projets.

The monitoring system itself is called the 'Project and Contract Management Procedures and Application (PCMA) which will come with a built-in geotagging feature. The DPWH plans to fully transition to this new system this year.

"When we lessen discretion, we eliminate corruption. The use of technology would serve as a strong deterrent against any possible future anomalies. Time suspensions must not be taken lightly. Projects must be delivered in the soonest possible time,” said Villar.