Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC) has opened Segment 9 of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Harbor Link, providing an alternative access to Valenzuela City and the Port Area in Manila.
MNTC, in a statement, said the P1.6-billion 2.42-kilometer expressway, which opened on March 19, will connect NLEX from the Smart Connect Interchange to MacArthur Highway in Karuhatan, Valenzuela City and would serve about 27,000 vehicles per day in its first year.
“Vehicles going to Camanava (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela City) via NLEX can take the west-bound ramp at the Smart Connect Interchange, proceed through Segment 9 and take MacArthur Highway instead of exiting at the Valenzuela Interchange and passing through the congested Maysan Road,” MNTC president Rodrigo Franco said.
Vehicles going to Port Area, on the other hand, can take the same route and pass by Monumento in Caloocan instead of exiting at Balintawak and going through traffic-heavy EDSA.
By easing traffic with the opening of Segment 9, Franco said they expect to see “increased economic activities in these areas since it will improve transport logistics through the more efficient movement of trucks.”
In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, MNTC said the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) approved its Toll Operation Permit on March 18, allowing the company to operate and maintain Phase 2 of NLEX’s Segment 9.
The TRB also approved the toll fee of P45 for Class 1 vehicles, P114 for Class 2 vehicles, and P136 for Class 3 vehicles.
