Marcos: NLEx C5 Northlink 1A toll-free until yearend

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that the newly opened NLEx (North Luzon Expressway) C5 Northlink Segment 8.2 Section 1A, which connects Quezon City and Valenzuela City, would be toll-free until the end of 2026. Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Vince Dizon, who joined the president along with Public Works and Highways Secretary Giovanni Lopez during the opening to motorists, said on Friday that the two-kilometer elevated expressway links the NLEx Mindanao Avenue toll plaza to Quirino Highway, spanning Barangay Talipapa in Quezon City and Barangay Ugong in Valenzuela City. Dizon said the president is thankful for the support of the project proponent and concessionaire, NLEX Corp., for not collecting toll fees right away. “As with other newly opened roads, they are extending this accommodation while they still can — so passage here remains free until the end of the year,” the chief executive said in Filipino. Open to all vehicle classes, the newly opened road section has an estimated capacity of 11,000 vehicles per day, and the usual travel time of about 40 minutes would be cut down to roughly five minutes, according to DOTr. It said Section 1A is only a portion of the broader 11.3-kilometer Segment 8.2 project, designed to eventually connect Mindanao Avenue to C.P. Garcia Avenue (C-5) near Katipunan, also in Quezon City. Brothers Valenzuela Mayor Wes Gatchalian and District 1 Rep. Kenneth Gatchalian, who were with the president and Dizon along with NLEX Corp. executives, hailed the opening of the road section, which would benefit their constituents and largely contribute to the economic development of the two neighboring cities.