NLEX Harbor Link

The NLEX Harbor Link Project is an extension of the North Luzon Expressway running from Mindanao Avenue in Valenzuela at the east to Radial Road 10 in Navotas at the west, allowing access to the Port of Manila. It aims to connect with the Port of Manila while improving cargo movement between NLEX and Radial Road 10. It is divided into four segments, namely: Segment 8.1 (Mindanao Avenue Link), 8.2 (C-5 Link / Citi Link), 9 (Karuhatan Link), and 10 (Harbor Link).^[1] It forms part of the expressway's open section. Both Segments 8.1 and 9, located in Valenzuela, are components of Circumferential Road 5 (C-5) of Manila's arterial road network.

 

NLEX Segment 8.1 (Mindanao Avenue Link) is a four-lane, 2.7-kilometer (1.7 mi) expressway from the Harbor Link Interchange to Mindanao Avenue in Valenzuela. Lying on the ground level east of the interchange, it begins at the intersection with Mindanao Avenue in Barangay Ugong and then approaches the Mindanao toll plazas, widening to 6 lanes serving only westbound traffic. It terminates at the Harbor Link Interchange with NLEX Main and continues to the west as Segment 9 (Karuhatan Link).

 

NLEX Segment 9 (Karuhatan Link) is a four-lane, 2.42-kilometer (1.50 mi) expressway from Harbor Link Interchange to MacArthur Highway in Karuhatan, Valenzuela. It is the first segment of the NLEX Harbor Link project.^[4] It begins at the Harbor Link Interchange with NLEX Main, picking up from where Segment 8.1 (Mindanao Avenue Link) left off. Lying on the ground level west of the interchange, it then traverses Barangays Gen. T. De Leon, Parada, and Maysan, where two exits towards the first two barangays, respectively, are found. It then enters Barangay Karuhatan, where it approaches the Karuhatan toll plaza, widening to 6 lanes serving only eastbound vehicles, and Segment 10 (Harbor Link) and finally terminates at MacArthur Highway.

 

 

NLEX Segment 10 (Harbor Link), the second phase of the NLEX Harbor Link project, is a four-lane, 5.65-kilometer (3.51 mi) fully elevated expressway which connects with the Karuhatan Link (Segment 9) in Valenzuela to C-3 Road in Caloocan, where two ramps carry it to the west for another 2.60 kilometers (1.62 mi) up to Radial Road 10 (R-10) in Navotas.^[4] It begins at Karuhatan Exit with Segment 9 (Karuhatan Link) and MacArthur Highway. The section near the northern terminus traverses an industrial and residential area, which necessitated the demolition of numerous houses, buildings, and warehouses. It soon follows the railway right-of-way, where it rises to as high as 19 meters (62 ft) to provide necessary ground clearance for the viaduct carrying the future Manila–Clark Railway of the Philippine National Railways (PNR). It then crosses the Tullahan River, where it enters Malabon. It then enters Caloocan, where past Samson Road and the PNR rolling stock shops in Caloocan, it shifts east of the railway's right of way (ROW), necessitating the demolition of a wet market. An exit to C-3 Road could then be found before meeting the Caloocan Interchange, where the expressway veers west as the C3–R10 spur alignment with a connection to NLEX Connector that would lead southwards to Manila. The 2.60-kilometer (1.62 mi) C3–R10 spur section, also known as the Mel Lopez Boulevard section,^[5] runs above C-3 Road, with a westbound exit to Dagat-Dagatan Avenue, crossing the Navotas River as it enters Navotas before reaching the Navotas Interchange, which connects to the Port of Manila via Mel Lopez Boulevard.

At the Navotas Interchange, the expressway has a possible future connection to the proposed NLEX–CAVITEX Port Expressway Link or Harbor Link Port Access Mobility Facility towards Manila–Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX) or Anda Circle, respectively.^[6][7]

According to differing versions of Frost Plan for Quezon City (the then-capital of the Philippines), an avenue was planned to connect the second National Government Center at Constitution Hill (now Batasan Hills) to both Balintawak and Manila North Road (now MacArthur Highway) in Valenzuela. In Quezon City, this road was named Republic Avenue or Avenue of the Republic.^[8][9] However, the avenue was partially realized, and its right-of-way was eventually occupied by informal settlements. The proposal for the Circumferential Road 5 (C-5) came thereafter, with a proposed terminus by the Manila Bay in Navotas, based on a 1980 feasibility study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.^[10][11][12]

Another study was conducted by JICA in 1993, which included a plan for an urban expressway in Metro Manila. The planned routes were included in the study. The portion of Expressway Route C-3 would start at the interchange with Expressway Route R-9 along the intersection of Andres Bonifacio Avenue in Quezon City and continue to the first segment of Expressway Route R-10 in Navotas.^[13]

In the 1999 Metro Manila Urban Transportation Integration Study (MMUTIS), JICA proposed building elevated expressways from Andres Bonifacio Avenue to Radial Road 10/Marcos Road (now Mel Lopez Boulevard) in Tondo, Manila, called the R-10/C-3 Expressway, and along Circumferential Road 5 that would have extended to Bulacan past Republic Avenue in Quezon City.^[14] In 2003, JICA conducted another study proposing the Metro Manila Urban Expressway System, which included routes along R-9, R-10, C-3, and C-5.^[15] However, none of these plans were implemented.

The proposal for the northern extension of C-5 conceptualized in the 1980 and 1999 JICA studies^[16][17] aimed to connect Quezon City to Navotas. In 1998, the Philippine National Construction Corporation (PNCC) signed a STOA agreement with the Manila North Tollways Corporation (MNTC, now NLEX Corporation), planning a tolled expressway from C.P. Garcia Avenue, veering into Republic Avenue in Quezon City and reaching Valenzuela. The route, initially 22.4 kilometers (13.9 mi) long,^[18][19] included segments of the Harbor Link and a cloverleaf interchange with the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX). The planned terminus was to be located at Letre Road in Malabon. However, it was realigned to follow the Philippine National Railways' abandoned line and ends at C-3 Road in Caloocan.^[20]

 

Construction of NLEX Segment 8.1 (Mindanao Avenue Link), the first segment of the Harbor Link project, broke ground on April 2, 2009,^[21] with actual construction work beginning on April 21, 2009.^[22] The right-of-way for the road and interchange were then established upon their construction, and several houses were demolished. The first segment of the project was opened to traffic on June 5, 2010, by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Metro Pacific Investments chairman Manny Pangilinan.^[23] The spur road became part of the C-5 Road North Extension and was built to provide another entry point to the expressway from Metro Manila and decongest Balintawak Interchange.^[24]

In 2013–2014, the construction of NLEX Segments 9 (Karuhatan Link) and 10 (Harbor Link) broke ground.^[25][26] On March 18, 2015, NLEX Segment 9 was opened, continuing Segment 8.1, running from the western side of the Harbor Link Interchange to MacArthur Highway in Karuhatan, Valenzuela.

In 2017, the works on the additional segment leading to Radial Road 10 began, while three ramps were planned as a provision.^[27]

On February 28, 2019, the main stretch of NLEX Segment 10 from MacArthur Highway to C-3 Road in Caloocan was inaugurated and opened to traffic.^[28][29] However, this section of NLEX Segment 10 was supposed to be operational in December 2016^[30] but was delayed repeatedly due to right-of-way issues and delayed right-of-way acquisition. On February 21, 2020, its C-3–R-10 section was partially opened to its Malabon (Dagat-Dagatan) exit ramp.^[31] On June 15, its remaining section to Radial Road 10 was finally opened.^[32] This section was originally expected to open in March 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

NLEX Segment 8.2, also named NLEX C-5 Link and NLEX Citi Link,^[4][33] will be an 11.5-kilometer (7.1 mi) segment part of the NLEX Harbor Link Project that will connect the existing NLEX Segment 8.1 (Mindanao Avenue Link) to Katipunan Avenue, a part of C-5. It is divided into two sections: the 8.30-kilometer (5.16 mi) Section 1 from Mindanao Avenue to Luzon Avenue and the 3.2-kilometer (2.0 mi) Section 2 from Luzon Avenue to C.P. Garcia Avenue.^[1][34][35] The planned segment will at first run parallel to Republic Avenue before making a southward turn to Luzon Avenue, after which it will then cross to Commonwealth Avenue and end at the intersection of C.P. Garcia and Katipunan Avenues.^[4] The segment will include five interchanges at Mindanao Avenue, Quirino Highway, Regalado Avenue, Congressional and Luzon Avenues, and Katipunan and C.P. Garcia Avenues, with three local road crossings at Sauyo Road, Chestnut Avenue, and Commonwealth Avenue.^[36][37]

The project implementation has been delayed for years due to right-of-way issues,^[2][38] as it will affect informal settlers in eight barangays in Quezon City.^[39] Construction of the expressway segment's first phase, particularly the 2-kilometer (1.2 mi) Section 1A between Mindanao Avenue and Quirino Highway, is set to commence in 2024.^[40]

 

NLEX Harbor Link is part of North Luzon Expressway's open section in Metro Manila and south of NLEX Main's Bocaue Toll Plaza in Bocaue, Bulacan. The section employs a barrier toll system, wherein vehicles are charged a flat toll based on class. Entering vehicles from NLEX Main do not need another toll collection on NLEX Harbor Link as their toll fees have already been collected at Balintawak or one of the southbound toll plazas from Bocaue to Paso de Blas, whereas those from elsewhere from Caloocan Interchange northwards/eastwards are charged a toll fee at Mindanao or Karuhatan toll plazas; eastbound vehicles exiting at Karuhatan are charged a toll fee upon exit. Vehicles traversing the C-3–R-10 section to and from the NLEX Connector are charged a toll fee at the latter.

It accepts cash payments and adopts the electronic toll collection (ETC) system, which is operated by Easytrip Services Corporation. Under the law, all toll rates include a 12% Value-Added Tax (VAT).

The toll rates, implemented since June 4, 2024, are as follows:^[41]

 

 

 

 

 

This entire route is located in Metro Manila. Exit numbers are numbered by kilometer posts. The kilometer count, which would be shown here in its approximate values, increments east and west of Harbor Link Interchange as it branches off NLEX Main, with Rizal Park in Manila designated as kilometer 0. 

Province	City/Municipality	km	mi	Exit	Name	Destinations	Notes
Quezon City					C.P. Garcia	N129 (Katipunan Avenue) / C.P. Garcia Avenue	Future eastern terminus;[34] possible link to the proposed C-5 Expressway
					Congressional	N129 (Congressional Avenue Extension, Luzon Avenue)
					Regalado[42]	Regalado Avenue
					Quirino Highway	N127 (Quirino Highway)
Valenzuela		15.9	9.9		Mindanao Avenue	N128 (Mindanao Avenue) – Quezon City	Current eastern terminus; C-5 segment of NLEX Harbor Link starts here.
		15.39	9.56	Mindanao Toll Plaza (westbound only)
		15.29	9.50	Mindanao Toll Plaza expansion (westbound only; exclusively for Class 1)
		13	8.1		Harbor Link Interchange	AH 26 (E1) (NLEX Main) – Balintawak, Tarlac	Cloverleaf interchange with collector lanes; former western terminus (2009-2015)
		14.71	9.14		Parada	Parada, Maysan	Westbound exit only
		15.00	9.32		Gen. T. De Leon	Gen. T. de Leon	Eastbound exit only
		16.15	10.04	Karuhatan Toll Plaza (eastbound only)
		16.2– 17.5	10.1– 10.9		Karuhatan	N1 (MacArthur Highway) – Karuhatan	Diamond interchange. C-5 segment of NLEX Harbor Link ends here. former western terminus (2015-2019)
Malabon				No major junctions
Caloocan					C-3 Road	N130 (C-3 Road) – Caloocan	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; Former western terminus (2019-2020)
					Caloocan Interchange	NLEX Connector	Directional T interchange; veers west to C3–R10 section
					Malabon (Dagat-Dagatan)	Dagat-Dagatan Avenue – Caloocan, Malabon	Westbound exit and future eastbound entrance[43]
Navotas						AH 26 (N120) (R-10) – Navotas Fish Port Complex	Future westbound exit and eastbound entrance, access to Southern Access Link Expressway (SALEX) [44]
					Navotas Interchange (Mel Lopez Boulevard/R10 Ramp)[44]	AH 26 (N120) (R-10) – Port of Manila	Western terminus, future connection to Southern Access Link Expressway (SALEX)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access        Tolled       Unopened