Wanted: 1,500 construction workers for NLEX connector road project

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Contruction works for the NLEX Connector road project | Photo from NLEX Corp.
Contruction works for the NLEX Connector road project | Photo from NLEX Corp.

Tollways company NLEX Corp. is hiring more than 1,500 technical and skilled workers as it accelerates construction of the P23-billion elevated NLEX Connector road project.

NLEX Corp. president and general manager J. Luigi L. Bautista said priority in hiring will be given to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The tollways company is also mobilizing more construction equipment to improve productivity at the site and speed up the construction of the NLEX Connector.

“Being a government partner in infrastructure building, NLEX Corporation and the entire Metro Pacific Tollways group are keen in helping the economy recover from the adverse effects of the pandemic. With our ongoing projects, we can create more opportunities for people [and] thus propel growth in the country,” Bautista said in a statement.

The 8-kilometer, all-vehicle-class expressway will traverse the Caloocan Interchange and 5th Avenue/C3 Road in Caloocan City, pass through España, and eventually link to the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Sta. Mesa area in Manila.

“We are currently working on the first five-kilometer section of the NLEX Connector from Grace Park, Caloocan City to España St., Sampaloc, Manila. As projected, more than 1,500 workers are needed to accelerate the construction works,” Bautista said.

The Department of Public Works and Highways and Department of Labor and Employment have advised companies involved in the government’s “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program to extend employment assistance to repatriated OFWs, especially those who were previously employed in construction.

Targeted for completion in 2021, the NLEX Connector aims to cut travel time from NLEX to South Luzon Expressway from two hours to just 20 minutes or so, and to improve accessibility for cargo trucks headed for Manila ports (North and South Harbor) and international airports such as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Clark International Airport.

It is also seen to benefit 35,000 motorists who will be avoiding Metro Manila’s congested city roads since they will traverse routes located mostly above the alignment of the Philippine National Railways.