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Magsaysay Boulevard in Manila faces improvements starting this October as part of the construction of the NLEX Connector Sta. Mesa section
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The project will be undertaken until the first quarter of 2023 with decommissioning of the Magsaysay Flyover to be completed before the Christmas holiday
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Work will be done in phases, with temporary closure of the lanes going to Legarda St, in Sampaloc, Manila, then on the lanes going to Cubao, Quezon City
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More details of the road closures will be posted on NLEX Corp.’s various communication platforms
NLEX Corp is set to improve Magsaysay Boulevard in Manila starting this October as part of the construction of the NLEX Connector Sta. Mesa section.
The redevelopment will involve rehabilitating the existing eastbound and westbound service roads, improving the Philippine National Railways railroad crossing, relocating electric lampposts, and decommissioning the Magsaysay Flyover.
The project will be carried out until the first quarter of 2023 with the decommissioning of the Magsaysay Flyover to be completed before the Christmas holiday, the toll road operator said in a statement.
Work will be done in phases, with temporary closure of lanes going to Legarda St. in Sampaloc, Manila, then on the lanes going to Cubao, Quezon City.
A minimum of three lanes per direction will remain open at daytime, while two lanes per direction will be passable at nighttime. More information on the closures will be posted on NLEX Corp.’s various communication platforms.
Once completed, traffic flow on Magsaysay Blvd. is expected to improve greatly, as the thoroughfare will have a new configuration of five lanes per direction and will be wider with 3.5 meters per lane, at par with standards of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Magsaysay Blvd. currently has six lanes per direction with width per lane of.5 meters.
With the decommissioning of the Magsaysay Flyover, the NLEX Connector mainline will be on the second level rather than on the fourth to ensure safer and faster travel of all classes of vehicles, particularly Class 3 vehicles travelling to and from the port areas.
“The redevelopment project and the NLEX Connector both aim to ease traffic in the metro and improve the flow of vehicles in its surrounding areas,” NLEX Corp. president and general manager J. Luigi L. Bautista said.
He added that being an alternative and truck ban-free route, the elevated expressway will also reduce traffic on roads where trucks traversed previously.
NLEX Corp. and its contractor will undertake necessary measures to minimize slowdowns and ensure safety of motorists and pedestrians while the redevelopment work is ongoing. These include deployment of traffic marshals and installation of directional signs and safety devices at strategic locations.
The eight-kilometer NLEX Connector is divided into two sections: the España and Sta Mesa sections.
READ: 5km section of NLEX Connector 80% complete
The five-kilometer España section runs from the Caloocan Interchange on C3 Road, España Blvd. The three-kilometer Sta Mesa section, on the other hand, runs from España Blvd. to R. Magsaysay Blvd., all the way to Sta. Mesa, Manila.
Designed to cater to all vehicle classes including trucks, NLEX Connector intends to spur economic progress by significantly improving the travel of motorists, especially those in the logistics sector, as the new road will shorten travel time for cargoes.
The connector is estimated to benefit at least 35,000 vehicles per day and projected to improve the connectivity between airports and seaports. This will also reduce travel time from NLEX to South Luzon Expressway to 20 minutes from the usual two hours.
Travel time from Clark to Calamba will be cut to just about 1 hour and 40 minutes from three hours.
