NLEX Harbor Link - C3 Road Caloocan Interchange 03

The North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), signed as E1 of the Philippine expressway network, partially as N160 of the Philippine highway network, and partially as R-8 of the Metro Manila arterial road network, is a controlled-access highway that connects Metro Manila to the provinces of the Central Luzon region in the Philippines. The expressway, which includes the main segment and its various spurs, has a total length of and travels from its northern terminus at Santa Ines Interchange in Mabalacat, Pampanga, to its southern terminus at Balintawak Interchange in Quezon City, which is adjacent to its connection to Skyway, an elevated toll road that connects the expressway to its counterpart in the south, the South Luzon Expressway. The segment of the expressway between Santa Rita Exit in Guiguinto and the Balintawak Interchange is part of Asian Highway 26 of the Asian highway network. Although its name implies a connection to northern Luzon, the expressway's northern end is actually in Central Luzon.

The North Luzon Expressway was built in the 1960s as part of the government's program to develop areas adjacent to Metro Manila, with NLEX serving the north. The expressway was originally controlled by the Philippine National Construction Corporation (PNCC), until the expressway's operations and maintenance was transferred on February 10, 2005, to the NLEX Corporation, a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (a former subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation until August 2008). The expressway was expanded and rehabilitated from 2003 to February 2005, modernizing the road and its facilities.

Route description

NLEX Main

The North Luzon Expressway's main segment, called the North Luzon Tollway (NLT) or NLEX Main, cuts northwards from Quezon City to the provinces in Central Luzon.

The expressway begins in Quezon City as a four lane road at the Balintawak Interchange with EDSA as a continuation of A. Bonifacio Avenue. The main segment spans , passing through Caloocan and Valenzuela in Metro Manila and the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga in Central Luzon. It currently ends in Mabalacat. The NLEX runs parallel to the MacArthur Highway, which is officially known as the Manila North Road.

From Balintawak, the NLEX follows a straight north route, with sections lined by billboards. Two service roads run on either sides of the expressway from Balintawak to Barangay Lias, Marilao, albeit discontinuously and one service road on the west from Marilao Exit to Duhat, Bocaue. The N160 concurrency end in the city boundaries of Caloocan and Malabon, near the Eternal Gardens Memorial Park and just below Skyway and its Balintawak Exit and few meters south of the former site of Balintawak toll plaza that operated until 2005. The expressway then bends westward at Harbor Link Interchange in Valenzuela and in Tambubong Interchange in Bocaue, Bulacan. The following exit, Tabang, leads passengers to the Tabang Spur Road. The Tabang Spur Road is a four-lane, spur road in Bulacan that branches off NLEX Main at Tabang Exit in Balagtas and terminates at a partial cloverleaf interchange with MacArthur Highway and Cagayan Valley Road at Guiguinto Exit in Guiguinto. The spur road carried the final leg of the expressway until the present route was extended to Pampanga.

The expressway narrows to three lanes per direction past Tabang Exit. It continues on a straight route, traversing paddy fields on the outskirts of Guiguinto, Malolos, and Pulilan. The Asian Highway 26 (AH26) concurrency leaves NLEX at Santa Rita Exit, where it follows Maharlika Highway, also known as Cagayan Valley Road, towards Baliwag and Cagayan Valley. A few meters after Pulilan Exit is the Candaba Viaduct (officially known as Pulilan-Apalit Bridge). The bridge traverses rice paddies and swampland in the municipalities of Pulilan, Calumpit, Bulacan and Apalit, Pampanga, and crosses Apalit Bypass Road and Pampanga River before the viaduct ends. The expressway continues again on a straight alignment. After San Fernando Exit, the expressway narrows into two lanes per direction. It continues a mostly straight and gently winding route through the rural areas of Mexico, crossing Abacan and Quitangil rivers, and traversing the eastern parts of Angeles and Mabalacat. NLEX connects with Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway via Clark Spur Road, which ends Radial Road 8 concurrency before the main line terminates at Sta. Ines Interchange, with a toll plaza serving the exit.

NLEX Harbor Link

Collectively known as the North Luzon Expressway Harbor Link Project (NLEX Harbor Link Project), these series of expressways connect the North Luzon Expressway to various points in Metro Manila. It currently runs from Mindanao Avenue in Valenzuela to Radial Road 10 in Navotas, linking the North Luzon Expressway to the Port of Manila. Once completed, it will run from Katipunan Avenue, a component of Circumferential Road 5, in Quezon City at the east.

History

Planning and construction

The original stretch of the highway, named Manila North Expressway, from Balintawak Interchange in Quezon City up to Guiguinto Exit in Bulacan, was completed on August 4, 1968. It is a fully fenced limited-access highway that consisted of a four-lane rural divided roadway, nine twin bridges, one railroad overpass, seven underpasses, and three interchanges. The executive order was signed to designate the highway as a toll road.

Originally a project of the Department of Public Works and Highways, the completion of the major portion of the job fell on the Construction Development Corporation of the Philippines (CDCP, the precursor to PNCC) to pioneer the toll concept of funding infrastructure. It was carried out under the private financing scheme provided by Republic Act No. 3741.

Additional work required by the government included the construction of the Balintawak – Novaliches Interchange Complex, the Tabang Interchange, and the approach road of the underpasses.

The construction of the extension, began in April 1974 and was completed in August 1977. The route, consisting of of concrete road, was built as part of a highways program of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) linking major urban centers to the production centers in the north. The project features a 4-lane limited-access highway with a Candaba Viaduct, a construction innovation utilizing precast beam system, 6 interchanges, 12 bridges, and overpass/underpass structures.

Between 1982 and 1989, under the administrations of Ferdinand Marcos and Corazon Aquino, the expressway was extended by another from its terminus at Dau Exit to Santa Ines Exit in Mabalacat, Pampanga, with a northbound lane from Dau Exit to the future connection to SCTEX had an asphalt overlay while the southbound lane was originally a concrete road before an asphalt overlay was added upon the expressway's rehabilitation.

Planned extension to Pangasinan and La Union

Early in the plans that would have extended the expressway beyond its northern terminus in Mabalacat, Pampanga, towards the Ilocos region. These various different proposals have been made throughout the years.

In 1977, President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. signed a presidential decree that proposes an expressway extension to Rosales, Pangasinan. They later mentioned it again in 1983. In 1989, the PNCC proposed an extension of the expressway, totaling by 20 kilometers (12 mi) from Mabalacat to Capas, Tarlac, and 82 kilometers (51 mi) to Rosales.

In 1994, the PNCC entered into a MOU with Italian-Thai Development for the extension of the North Luzon Tollway to Pangasinan and La Union, as well as the widening of the expressway from four to eight lanes under the build-operate-transfer scheme. However, the agreement turned into a deadlock, and Congressman Mike Defensor was assailed for imputing motivations to Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. for resolving, and also, Benpres (now Lopez Holdings Corporation), which involved the rehabilitation and expansion of the expressway, was planned to include the extension to Pangasinan and La Union with agreement as its revision. Nothing came out of that undertaking.

Filipinas Dravo Corporation also made a study on the expressway extension that would extend to San Fernando, La Union, totaling in 1996 and proposed it in the 1997 master plan.

On December 30, 1996, Japanese company Itochu signed an agreement with the PNCC to build the extension of the expressway to Pangasinan, and a feasibility study was conducted. Meanwhile, the route has a total length of from Mabalacat to Urdaneta, Pangasinan, with a planned extension to La Union. When the proposal was not realized, the extension of the expressway was split into two expressways, the Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway and its segment between Clark and Tarlac City, and the Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway. No new proposals have made since then.

Expansion and rehabilitation

On April 30, 1998, the MNTC was granted the concession for the expressway, manifested in a Supplementary Toll Operation Agreement (STOA). Under the STOA, the government confirmed the assignment by PNCC of its usufructuary rights, interest and privileges over the existing expressway, including all extensions, linkages and diversions in favor of MNTC. These concession rights authorized MNTC to construct, finance, manage, operate and maintain all the project roads and charge tolls thereon.

From February 2003 to February 2005, the expressway underwent a major rehabilitation. Works included the widening of the Balintawak–Tabang segment from 6 to 8 lanes and the Tabang–Sta. Rita segment from 4 to 6 lanes, asphalt overlay, and the demolition of old tollbooths. The main contractor of the rehabilitation work was Leighton Asia with Egis as the main subcontractor for the toll, telecommunication and traffic management systems. To help maintain the safety and quality of the expressway, various rules are in effect, such as restricting the left lane to passing vehicles only and banning overloaded trucks. On February 10, 2005, commercial operations began following the Toll Regulatory Board's issuance of the Toll Operation Permit. On the same day, the operation and maintenance of the expressway was transferred from the government-owned PNCC to the privately owned MNTC, which would later become known as NLEX Corporation.

On February 12, 2007, the entire stretch of the expressway began another rehabilitation regarding its drainage systems. Within this period, certain lanes of the road were closed to the traffic. This in turn caused massive traffic jams along the road and the speed limit on the construction sites were reduced from and , respectively, to . The program was finished on October 7, 2007.

Further extensions

Construction of NLEX Segment 8.1 (Mindanao Avenue Link), the first segment of the Harbor Link project, broke ground on April 2, 2009, with actual construction work beginning on April 21, 2009. Right-of-way for the road and interchange was then established throughout its construction where several houses were demolished. It was opened to the traffic on June 5, 2010. The spur road became part of the C-5 Road North Extension and is built to provide another entry point to the expressway from Metro Manila and decongest Balintawak Interchange.

On March 18, 2015, NLEX Segment 9 or the NLEX Karuhatan Link was opened, providing continuation to Segment 8.1 that runs from the other side of the Harbor Link Interchange to MacArthur Highway in Karuhatan, Valenzuela.

On February 28, 2019, the main stretch of NLEX Segment 10 or the NLEX Harbor Link, from Karuhatan to C-3 Road, was opened to traffic. On February 21, 2020, its C3–R10 Section was partially opened up to its Malabon exit ramp; the remaining section to Radial Road 10 was opened on June 15, 2020.

NLEX Segment 8.2, which would extend NLEX Segment 8.1 from Mindanao Avenue to Congressional Avenue, is also set to be constructed, but its construction was delayed due to right of way issues.

NLEX Connector

NLEX Connector is a elevated highway serving as a connector between NLEX and SLEX. Section 1 was opened to the public, while Section 2, which is 59.12% complete as of December 2023, was partially opened and is planned to be finished in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Proposed renaming

The main expressway has been a subject of some legislative measures for its proposed renaming. These were filed to commemorate to the historical significance and contributions of its intended namesakes, respectively. However, none has taken effect to date, as these await a counterpart measure from the Senate before it can be signed into law by the President of the Philippines.

On May 10, 2015, the House Committee on Public Works and Highways approved House Bill No. 4820 that seeks to rename the expressway to President Corazon C. Aquino Expressway (CAEX), in honor of former President Corazon Aquino, who was regarded as an icon of democracy. It was authored by Magnolia Rosa Antonino-Nadres, the then-representative from Nueva Ecija's 4th district.

On May 13, 2019, the House of Representatives passed on third and final reading the House Bill No. 8958 that seeks to rename the expressway to the Marcelo H. del Pilar Expressway (MHDPEX), in honor of Marcelo H. del Pilar, a revolutionary writer and patriot from Bulacan. The bill is principally authored by Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado, the then-representative from Bulacan's 1st district.

Future

Santa Ines extension

Currently, NLEX terminates at the Santa Ines Exit in Mabalacat, Pampanga. Plans to continue the expressway beyond have been raised over the years, with the cooperation of DPWH, to extend the Sta. Ines Interchange towards Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway, also in Mabalacat.

NLEX Phase 3

NLEX Phase 3 would be a extension with three segments from NLEX Main, originally planned to be built from San Simon, Pampanga, to Dinalupihan, Bataan, connecting to the Subic Bay Freeport Zone via SCTEX. However, the plan was modified to instead start somewhere between Apalit and San Fernando in Pampanga, then cut across Guagua and end at Dinalupihan. Though the project will tentatively start from Apalit based on the concession, the new alignment has yet to be finalized.

Santo Tomas Interchange

On January 19, 2024, the NLEX Corporation announced its partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Toll Regulatory Board for the construction of a new interchange in Santo Tomas, Pampanga, as part of the Greater Pampanga Circumferential Road Masterplan. The interchange will connect the future Lubao–Guagua–Minalin–Santo Tomas Bypass Road and aims to alleviate congestion on Jose Abad Santos Avenue.

NLEX Air

On August 30, 2024, MPTC announced plans to construct an elevated road, named NLEX Air, extending from the Balintawak Toll Plaza to the Tambubong Interchange. With a total length of , is one of the most congested sections of the expressway, and MPTC believes an elevated tollway would ease traffic buildup in the area. In November, MTC President J Luigi L Bautista announced NLEX Air will be a multi-lane free-flow (MLFF) system or barrier-free tollway, equipped with efficiency antennae, RFID sensors, ALPR and infrared, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.

New Manila International Airport link

Pillars have been built on NLEX between its Balintawak toll plaza and Skyway Stage 3's Balintawak/NLEX off-ramp to accommodate a future toll road to New Manila International Airport in Bulakan, Bulacan. The future project, to be built by San Miguel Corporation, will expand the capacity of NLEX by adding new 4–5 lanes up to Marilao, which was selected for another toll road to the future airport. After the completion of this elevated toll road, NLEX will have 11–13 lanes total (3–4 lanes per direction on NLEX + 5 lanes on the elevated segment) from Balintawak Cloverleaf to Marilao, ultimately bypassing the NLEX's open section.

The toll road project, later known as the Northern Access Link Expressway (NALEX), was approved by the Toll Regulatory Board in June 2022. It would be long from Skyway Stage 3 to a roundabout in Meycauayan, near the airport. Another stretch would be built beyond the NMIA roundabout, ending at the southern end of the Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway in Tarlac City. When completed, NALEX would be long. The NALEX project costs and the first segment is targeted to be completed by 2026.

Tolls

The tollway has two sections: an open section and a closed section. The open section, which is between Bocaue Exit and Balintawak Toll Barrier and the entire NLEX Harbor Link, employs the use of a barrier toll system, which charges a flat toll based on vehicle class. It is employed to reduce the number of toll barriers (and associated bottlenecks) within Metro Manila. The closed section, which is from Bocaue Exit northwards and the northbound exit to Philippine Arena (south of Bocaue), is distance-based, charging based on the class of vehicle and distance traveled. The section south of Balintawak toll barrier is toll-free, especially to vehicles travelling between Quirino Highway and Balintawak Interchange.

When the expressway was modernized, an electronic toll collection system was set up for Class 1 vehicles while prepaid magnetic cards were assigned to Class 2 and 3 vehicles to speed up transactions at toll booths. These have since been replaced by a unified ETC system operated by Easytrip Services Corporation. In accordance with law, all toll rates include a 12% Value-Added Tax (VAT). With the movement of the northernmost toll gate to Sta. Ines, the NLEX and SCTEX toll systems have been merged into one combined system, with tolls for all enclosed destinations listed.

The toll rates, implemented since March 2, 2025, are as follows:

Services

Emergency phones and parking bays

Emergency telephone boxes are located throughout the whole length of the expressway. Parking bays (lay-bys) are also placed on regular intervals on the expressway, for use in emergency situations.

Service areas

North Luzon Expressway has two service areas with 5 on both northbound and southbound of the main line, mostly located on the closed toll section north of Bocaue, and one on Tabang Spur Road; one northbound service area on the main line is currently under construction. Each service station hosts a gas station, a convenience store, restrooms, car repair, and lubrication services. Most of these also have restaurants and ATMs, with some also providing ETC installation and reloading for Easytrip RFID users.

Exits

Exit numbers are based on kilometer post. Exits begin at 9 because the NLEX is a logical continuation of A. Bonifacio Avenue. Rizal Park in Manila is designated as Kilometer Zero.

Tabang Spur Road

In popular culture

*The expressway was featured in the music video to the song "Toll Gate" by the band Hale.
*It was also featured in the film ''Sa North Diversion Road'' in 2005, based on Tony Perez's stage play of the same name. It was created by Dennis Marasigan.
*From June 6–17, 2007, ''On North Diversion Road'', the play written by Tony Perez, was performed at The Arts House, Singapore, by young & W!LD, an actor training division of Singapore's W!LD RICE Theatre.
*Some of the stunt scenes of the 2009 Japanese film '' Wangan Midnight: The Movie'' were shot here.

Notes

References

External links

Manila North Tollways Corporation

NLEX-SCTEX Toll Table Rates

{{Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone

Toll roads in the Philippines
Roads in Metro Manila
Roads in Bulacan
Roads in Pampanga