Full blast construction of the elevated expressway linking the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) to the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) is set to begin next month, according to Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC).

MPTC unit NLEX Corp. has awarded the first section of the project to DMCI, while the contractor for the second section will be named by the second quarter.

“As we speak today, they (DMCI) are already mobilizing. The full blast construction will start next month when they will bring heavy and big equipment to the site. The equipments will be used for bored piling because that’s going to be the first major activity,” NLEX president and general manager Luigi Bautista said.

Bautista said the intention is to complete the first section next year.

He said NLEX is pre-qualifying contractors for the project’s second section, with six to seven prospective bidders already expressing interest.

“We are bidding it in a couple of months. The intention is to identify the contractor by May so that around that time we can already issue the notice to proceed to the contractor of section two,” Bautista said.

The NLEX-SLEX connector road project is an eight-kilometer all-elevated highway which would extend the NLEX southward from the end of Segment 10 in C3/5th Avenue, Caloocan City to PUP Sta. Mesa, Manila and connect to the Skyway Stage 3, mostly traversing the Philippine National Railways’ track.

Bautista said the first section is a four-kilometer stretch from Caloocan to Espana, while the second section is from Espana all the way to PUP Sta. Mesa.

Once completed, the project is expected to decongest major thoroughfares and improve linkages between the north and south.

The groundbreaking for the project was held in February last year, which was two months ahead of its original May 2019 schedule.

For the most part of last year since its groundbreaking, NLEX has undertaken preliminary works such as ground survey, finalization of design, clearing of tree cutting, and clearing informal settlers.